Changes are Bravo!
by EternalEchoes
Summary: Yukinari, a boy allergic to girls gets fed up with being used. Contains OC, violence, sexual themes! LATEST UPDATES: Chapter 17, 19. Previous word count: 184,500 Thank you so much for reading and for your patience.
1. Chapter 1

Season 3 Episode 25: Love is Bravo!

It had been some three months since Miharu's rescue had taken place from her home world of Seiren. Things have quieted down in Yukinari Sasaki's home or at the very least this was the way it seemed to anyone observing from the outside. Kirie, someone who has harbored feelings for Yukinari in the past, still lives next door to Yukinari and remains by his side a loyal friend. Lisa, witch and younger sister of rich, privileged, and crazed pervert Kazuharu Fukuyama, resides in the Fukuyama estate conceiving new witchcraft in futile attempts to split Yukinari and Miharu up. Koyomi and Tomoka meanwhile had returned to Seiren, their jobs as Space Travel Agents urging them back. Yukina, her own duties on Seiren similarly not the kind to be ignored, had also long returned.

Kirie, as was her usual school day routine, showed up to the Sasaki residence one morning to accompany Yukinari and Miharu to school.

"Yukinari! Wake up! Don't you dare oversleep again Yukinari" Kirie called out knocking on Yukinari's door, ringing the doorbell, and peering into the peephole. "Yukinari, this is starting to become a habit" Kirie sighed worriedly to herself. "You slowpoke... Alright, I'm coming in!" Turning the door knob to find the door unlocked, Kirie lets herself in. "Yukinari, are you in here? Miharu?" Kirie calls out to an empty living room. No response of any sort rings out. "Maybe they've already set off?" she thought. She approaches Yukinari's room upstairs quietly and knocks on the door to his room. "Yukinari, are you in here?"

"J-just a second! Almost done getting ready!" Yukinari responds. Kirie grants him a second and finally, the door immediately opens revealing a Yukinari in his uniform and backpack ready to set off.

"Finally, Yukinari! Are you not getting enough sleep or something?" Kirie chastised.

"I'm sorry Kirie, it was a long night yesterday" he tells her exiting his room and closing the door behind him. Heading for the front door, Yukinari looks back at a perplexed Kirie looking in the direction of Miharu's room, the room once occupied by Yukinari's parents. "What's wrong?" he asks her.

"Aren't we waking Miharu up?"

"No, she's still feeling under the weather so she'll be staying in again today."

"Really?" responded Kirie in surprise. "That would make it two days now. That's pretty long for someone like Miharu; she'll usually just eat her way out of any illness."

"Yes well, please don't disturb her. She's resting" Yukinari warned as Kirie approached Miharu's room. Proceeding outside, they both set off for school.

"So what's she got again?" Kirie asked walking alongside Yukinari.

"A pretty bad cold. Her fever was really high at one point" Yukinari elaborated.

"I'm sorry to hear that. So will she be getting better soon?"

"I don't know. I hope so."

"Been giving her any medicine Yukinari?" asked Kirie inquisitively. "Careful not to leave that stuff where she can easily find it. You know how she can be sometimes."

"Of course Kirie... Now let's hurry up!" Yukinari urged as he sped up. "Or we'll be late!"

"Well you should wake up earlier then slowpoke!" Kirie criticized as she kept up with Yukinari.

School went off as usual. Math class was torture for most students excluding Yukinari who was, surprisingly, a student with good grades. Something exploded in chemistry class and the cat dissection in biology was gross yet enlightening as expected. During lunch time, Yukinari and Kirie joined several other students on the roof of Mizuno High.

"So I guess we'll be eating alone together again eh Yukinari?" Kirie remarked having a seat at a lone bench with Yukinari.

"Guess so" Yukinari agreed.

"Miharu probably misses eating at school more than anything" Kirie said pulling out a lunch from home.

"Maybe" was Yukinari's lethargic reply, a lunch he purchased from the school sitting on his lap.

"I'll save some of my lunch for her for later" Kirie said setting aside some of her lunch.

"You don't have to" Yukinari said.

"Nonsense" Kirie objected. "It's been too long since I've last seen her ever since this sickness. Besides, she loves mom's cooking so this should make her day. I'll give it to her after school."

"O-okay" Yukinari agreed as they both dug into their lunch.

"So, you looking forward to the school festival?" Kirie asked slipping some dumplings into her mouth.

"Sorta" Yukinari said.

"It's been so long since we've done anything together" Kirie said. "I wonder how long it's been since we've gone out together?"

"Uhh, I don't know... Weeks?"

"I'd say about a month and a half. You and Miharu have been spending so much time together" Kirie said. "You two don't have as much time to hang out eh?"

"I suppose so" Yukinari agreed.

"That's a shame" Kirie said disappointed. "..You know, mom got me a new Yukata and I'd love for you to see me in it Yukinari! You and Miharu could come with Fukuyama and I to the festival. I'll be wearing it to the festival."

"Y-yeah?" Yukinari responded uneasily as he shifted his lunch around his bento box.

"It'd do you some good Yukinari. You've been looking down recently: Miharu's not 'that' sick is she?" Kirie asked with grave concern.

"No, she'll be okay" Yukinari said somewhat coldly. "And the festival, I can't wait" he said in a similarly frigid manner.

"Is something the matter? You don't seem too enthusiastic."

"I, I'm sorry, of course I can't wait" Yukinari retorted immediately returning some life into his speech. "S-so, when is this festival?"

"Next week. Did you forget Yukinari?"

"No. Yes! I'm sorry" Yukinari corrected himself.

"Don't apologize. We all forget" Kirie kindly reassured him. "We all forget things. We wouldn't be human otherwise."

"Yeah, you're right..." Yukinari said as though simply shrugging off the topic. Kirie feels somewhat annoyed by his tone but ultimately ignores it.

"...Well, I hope we can all go" Kirie concludes. Both continue eating and at one point, Kirie turns in her seat and looks up at the clouds drifting across the sky. She stares longingly at them, seemingly envious of their indifference.

"So I guess you and Miharu have been official for a while now" Kirie asked suddenly.

"What?" Yukinari said perplexed by her abrupt inquiry.

"I mean living under the same roof and all for that long..."

"Uh, yeah yeah. We're official" Yukinari declared almost as if trying to avoid the topic. "Why do you ask?"

"N-no reason" Kirie says eating a portion of her lunch. She then takes a long, deep breath. "..You know what the best part about eating on the roof is?" Kirie challenged.

"The open air?" Yukinari answers.

"That's one of them" Kirie said.

"The view?"

"Closer" Kirie said grinning. "You know, that guess was close enough: the sky's the best part" she finally answers.

"The sky huh?" Yukinari said looking up.

"Yep! From up here, it just looks like a huge painting that goes on forever in all directions. There's just something about staring up at it" Kirie said also looking skywards. "Perfect for sitting and eating under. And it's a nice blue color at this time of day, not yellow or orange. That comes 'til later but that's usually when I'm back indoors."

"Something wrong with those colors?" Yukinari asked.

"There's just something depressing about those colors is all" Kirie answered. "Because of that, dusk can bum me out sometimes. I wonder if I'm the only one?"

"Hmm... You're not: evening depression has hit me too before so I can relate to evenings feeling gloomy actually" Yukinari agreed.

"So I'm not alone?" Kirie asked. Yukinari shakes his head. "That's a relief.. Morning skies are the best. I sometimes wake up early just to see the sky slowly turn from a dark purple to blue from the comfort of my own bed. I then psyche myself up for when you get out of your warm bed and into the cold morning before breathing in that fresh dawn air. It's a great way to start your day! Really wakes you up. Shake out your limbs, do a few stretches, and hurry downstairs for breakfast. Flick on the morning news and - and now I'm just rambling" Kirie said aloud. "Sorry about that."

"It's no problem at all Kirie. Really" Yukinari said smiling at the brunette. "I don't mind listening to you. I like it actually."

"Thanks" Kirie says smiling back before returning to gazing up at the sky. "They're pretty, aren't they?" she said moments later.

"The clouds?" Yukinari asked.

"Yeah..." Kirie confirms. "I remember when we would stare at skies just like these in elementary school. Good to see they haven't changed one bit since then." Yukinari looking up, his mouth partially full with lunch, finds large stratocumulus clouds streaking across the sky. Clouds moving slowly, guided by the wind inside a blue ocean stretching beyond the horizon.

"I remember often just lying on the ground and staring up at the sky. It would feel like you'd actually fall up into the sky if you stayed like that long enough! That's something that's stayed with me since way back" Yukinari said nostalgically.

"A part of me feels sad though when I look at clouds" Kirie commented passively.

"Sad?"

"Yeah.. The way they drift as if uncaring, unaware of their distancing. It's sort of sad really" Kirie said. "Don't you think so?" Yukinari, distracted by lunch, simply nods and hums in agreement. "You know, it kind of feels like us, drifting apart. We used to spend more time together and we'd do things together too but now..." Kirie sighed unexpectedly. "...Sometimes I long for those days... I guess it's only natural to become nostalgic as time goes by."

Yukinari could only look at Kirie curiously as she looked at him back rather stoically, an unexpected silence between the two taking over. Yukinari then recalled what Kirie had alluded to moments before: he had been spending less and less time with the brunette who was now to everyone's surprise and many admirers' distress going out with Fukuyama. Before his meeting Miharu, Kirie was his only friend and their days were often spent doing things together from shopping to going out to eat and watching movies: Kirie was almost a girlfriend though Yukinari's allergy forbade any such relationship. He instead considered her a friend, the kind of friend who on Valentine's Day for example, after Yukinari as usual received nothing from any girls, always went out of her way to buy him chocolates. The fact that she did not make the chocolate herself as was customary always gave him reason to suspect they were bought out of pity but then again, perhaps Kirie's ineptitude at cooking could offer an alternate explanation. Regardless, he was always grateful. Despite her culinary deficiencies, Kirie was a very pretty girl, pretty enough to garner herself several admirers, male and female. She was violently short-tempered enough to intimidate many more away, a temper Yukinari at times would fall victim to by accident. Kirie was also heroic, always stepping in to right wrongs or stop the rich pervert Fukuyama's abuses when he kidnapped Miharu or harassed Koyomi. She was strong and confident, typical of someone as adept at martial arts as she was and the opposite of Yukinari who was quick to mope and give up, something Kirie disliked greatly. Despite this, she often encouraged him to try harder and to become stronger. So far, no such development had taken place. He still retained the nickname 'Punynari' around school.

"So do you think you'll be able to make it to the school festival?" Kirie inquired.

"What are you talking about Kirie?" Yukinari, ignoring the question, asked.

"What?"

"Are you scared that's what's happening to us Kirie?"

With a look of anxiety, Kirie hesitated. "Sometimes, it feels that way" she answered honestly.

"Kirie, I've known you for so long, it's ridiculous that we never not be together." Yukinari, having finished his lunch, stands up and disposes of his lunch plate as does Kirie. "It's not like we're going anywhere. I mean we live next door to each other!" Yukinari said. "Kirie, I don't know about you but I think we'll be friends for the rest of our lives. And that's a future I'm looking forward to!"

Standing near the edge of the roof looking down at the campus, she replies. "You're right, I'm sorry. Forget I said anything" and smiles weakly.

Not satisfied with the face Kirie was making, Yukinari adds: "Kirie, if you need convincing, may I say something?" Kirie, turning her attention toward Yukinari, adopts a look of curiosity on her face. Nervously, Yukinari says "you've been there for me for so many things ever since we were kids, you're part of my childhood and I want you to be a part of the rest of my teens and I want you to be a part of my adulthood too. I think I'd be sad if there would be a time in my life with you not in it! Please don't ever forget that Kirie! And yes, I'll be able to make it to the festival and I'm sure your yukata will be lovely!" Smiling, Yukinari finishes. Kirie suddenly looks directly at Yukinari in surprise and stands staring at him. Slowly she walks up to him, her eyes glued to his. "Kirie, what's up?" Kirie's hand finds Yukinari's shoulder and then just as suddenly she pulls him into a warm embrace. Yukinari, puzzled by her sudden movement, asks "Kirie, is something up? Kirie?" Kirie, relieved by Yukinari's words does not speak at first but instead continues to hold Yukinari in her arms.

"Thanks Yukinari. That made me feel better" Kirie whispered into Yukinari's ear.

"I made you feel better? Were you not feeling well?" Yukinari whispered as he debated whether to hug back. Quickly recalling Yukinari's allergy, Kirie rips him away from her hug and holds him at arm's length.

"Oh, that's right! Your allergy!" Kirie exclaims in realization as she releases her hold. "I'm real sorry!"

"Don't worry!" Yukinari said. "It doesn't react like before." Looking over Yukinari's skin, she notices no reaction, his face free from any blemish.

"...That must be why you love her, huh? She helped cure you after all." Yukinari does not respond to this and instead remains silent, a serious look on his face. "Eh, Yukinari, something wrong?"

Turning away with a look of bitterness, he responds. "...Actually, there 'is' something wrong. I, I can't lie to you anymore."

"What?" Kirie breathed.

"Kirie... Miharu and I... have been growing apart for some time now."

"What!? What are you saying Yukinari!?" Kirie replied shocked. Looking down below and gripping the wire fence, Yukinari sighs.

"She returned to Seiren some time ago and we haven't spoken since."

"So then her being sick was untrue?" Kirie asked in disbelief.

"Yes, it was."

"Why Yukinari? Why would you lie like this?"

"I was afraid" Yukinari responded timidly. "I was afraid that after so many people had worked so hard to bring Miharu back from Seiren and now that we've fallen apart..." Yukinari paused then went on. "It just seemed like such an ungrateful thing."

"So instead you lied to me?" Kirie asked resentfully.

"I'm sorry" Yukinari replied. An awkward silence grabbed hold of the two briefly.

"Th-that's okay Yukinari" Kirie went on. "Love is fragile. Love and heartbreak often go hand in hand. But I bet you're planning on seeing her again sometime soon though right?" A long pause takes place.

"Kirie, I don't think so. I don't want to" Yukinari says looking away. Shocked by these words, Kirie stands in her place, a dozen questions racing in her head.

"Why? Yukinari, what happened between you two?" Kirie asked.

Yukinari, still looking down from the school roof replies. "I don't want to talk about it." Kirie, respecting Yukinari's request, goes silent. Turning and facing Kirie who was now wearing a look of worry, Yukinari goes on. "I just want to thank you for all you've done for me and the support you've given me. Well, us. Miharu and I."

"Yukinari, I can't believe this."

"Neither can I Kirie..." Yukinari finished and returned to class without another word as lunch period ended. He got through history class smoothly and finished the class duties of his usual bullies as well as his own. Yukinari wasn't a tall high school boy. On the contrary, given his small stature and the fact that he was once allergic to girls earned him a notorious reputation as someone who could be pushed around and, with the right amount of pressure, coerced into doing other people's cleaning duties. That was especially true since he was feeling blue from his break up not long ago.

"Very good, very good" Yukinari's classmate Mikako commented surveying the fruits of Yukinari's labor in cleaning the blackboard. Standing taller than Yukinari, wild green-hair on her scalp and an unfriendly smirk on her face, she runs a gloved finger across the board and examines it.

"Very nice there Punynari! Good job" praised her dark-haired boyfriend Kenichi.

"Nice to have Punynari at this school isn't it? Allergy or no allergy, he knows how to follow orders!" Mikako celebrated.

"Absolutely" agreed Kenichi. "Okay now beat it, teacher's coming!" Kicked out of the room, Yukinari gathers his things thrown out by his two harassers and makes his way home alone.

"Bullied again" he observed pathetically though such an occurrence was not anything new. Prior to meeting Miharu, he'd be taken advantage of by alumni, the majority of them women which would ultimately lead to his female allergy. Worse still was some female tormentors would use this to coerce him more effectively. And even though he was getting over his female allergy, his break-up with Miharu has deposited him into a state of apathy that would only make him seem even more ripe for exploitation.

A quarter-way into his walk home, a limo pulls up on the road next to him to his left opening up its window to reveal Kirie inside.

"Yukinari, hop in!" Kirie calls out. Yukinari, too tired to ask from the cleaning duties pushed on him gets in and sits to Kirie's right.

"Hello Kirie" Yukinari manages to murmur out.

"Hey Yukinari" Kirie said. "Tired?.. Yukinari, you're covered in chalk. You didn't have cleaning duty today.. Yukinari, did someone make you do chalk duty for them!?" Kirie questioned firmly. Yukinari, ashamed and exhausted, doesn't answer but Kirie picked up on this regardless. "Don't let them do that to you Yukinari! Stand up for yourself!" Kirie reinforced patting his uniform. "Tell them to buzz off!"

"Don't do that here!" rang out a previously unrevealed voice from Kirie's left. "You're covering up the interior of my limo with chalk dust!" Fukuyama, arms folded sitting on Kirie's left, protests. "Punynari, if you're going to ride with us please mind the expensive leather."

"I'm sorry" Yukinari apologized weakly.

"Shut up Fukuyama" Kirie expressed angrily.

"You pulled him in, you're responsible" objected Fukuyama.

"Don't mind him Yukinari" Kirie said still patting the dust from his uniform.

"Stop Kirie, I'll clean myself at home" Yukinari said gesturing Kirie to stop.

"Where's Miharu?" Fukuyama suddenly asked. "You two are often together. She's missed classes for-"

"She's sick and staying home" Yukinari quickly lied. "I'm taking care of her 'til she gets better." Kirie says nothing to this obvious lie.

"Really? I can help anytime! I'll personally help her if you'd like" suggested Fukuyama slyly. Lecherously he added "I'll give her a full-body exam if you want me to!"

"No, that's fine" Yukinari retorted firmly. "She'll be fine!" Kirie, still remaining silent, looks out to Yukinari's and her own home as the limo comes to a stop.

"We're here" announces the chauffeur from the driver's seat. Climbing out, Yukinari thanks Fukuyama and the driver and immediately makes for his front door. Kirie makes for her own home after saying her thanks and turning down a night out with Fukuyama explaining that she has things scheduled for the night.

"Fine. Good night" Fukuyama recovers turning his chin up slightly. "Driver, home." The limo pulls away as Yukinari shuts his front door, his back up against it, eyes closed.

"What now?" Yukinari ponders to himself. "Should I go see her?..." In silence he thinks. "No, I don't want to. I should learn from all this instead. Let this experience be a lesson in life, not a tenacious heartache." A sudden knock comes to Yukinari's door. Yukinari, reacting, turns around and faces it.

"Yukinari?" Kirie asks through the door sensing Yukinari's presence.

"Kirie, did you need something?" Yukinari asked opening the door.

"Ca-can I come in?" Kirie asked cautiously. Yukinari, not responding, allows her in. Kirie enters closing the door behind her and maintaining her silence in response to the mood. Yukinari proceeds to his bathroom wordlessly looking down at the bath that once served as a portal to Seiren. "Are you thinking about her?" Kirie asks standing behind Yukinari. Yukinari, for a moment, doesn't turn to her or say anything but continues to look, lost in thought.

"No, I'm thinking about... something else."

Kirie hesitated but after mustering up the courage she asks "so what happened Yukinari?" Yukinari says nothing for a moment making Kirie feel slightly guilty. "If you don't want to talk about it, I underst-"

"My rash is fading Kirie" Yukinari interrupts. "You'd think she'd be happy for me but she's been very... uneasy about it" Yukinari explains, the last few words spoken after some contemplation. "..Always asking where I'm going or who I'm meeting up with. It just felt as though she didn't trust me and we've drifted apart over time. It came to a point where I thought she preferred my allergic self to return but I don't want that. I hate that old me, that weak me."

"Yukinari, I can't believe this" Kirie replied softly. "I thought you two would be together forever."

"So did I Kirie. So did I but I've learned how fast love can fade away and I'm looking at things so differently now... You know, I'm too tired to think right now and I just want to be left alone. Kirie, I'm going to bed soon."

"So early?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just so tired" Yukinari explained. "It's been a long day for me."

"Okay Yukinari" Kirie responded understandingly and proceeded outside.

"Good night Kirie" Yukinari called out to Kirie as he closed his front door.

"Good night Yukinari" Kirie replied and she proceeded home. As she did so, Yukinari continued to ponder.

"Maybe.. it was because guys are so rare in her homeworld..." he thought. "Maybe that's why she had become so overwhelmed with worry, with grief over my fading allergy?.. But then did that mean that was the only thing that brought us together? My allergy?" he wondered with alarm as he prepared for bed, the portrait of himself and Miharu face down atop his bedside table. 


	2. Chapter 2

Season 3 Episode 26: Bravo, the Turning Point!

Yukinari having gone to bed earlier than usual woke up early and hit his bath. After he prepared himself his breakfast he flicked on the television and tuned into the morning news, a recent habit he had picked up.

"...reading up on recent numbers, economists predict a recovery. In local news, a young woman was robbed at gunpoint by a masked man who was described as approximately 5'10" with a broad build. He was also described as wearing a large gray trench coat and hockey mask during the robbery. The victim was unharmed but robbed of large sums of yen after having just visited her bank. Police link the same man to other robberies earlier this year. Police currently have no leads and ask for the general public to not resist but instead cooperate if confronted with the man. Investigators are also asking the general public to contact the authorities if they believe they have any information on the case. In other news..."

"How scary" Yukinari pondered to himself. In thought, he placed himself in the woman's shoes and imagined the same thing happening to him. He imagined himself disarming the crook with fast, effective, and precise martial arts techniques, knocking him out and standing heroically over his vanquished foe. "Get real Yukinari, I would just crumble and get robbed" Yukinari sighed weakly to himself. Finishing his breakfast, he grabbed his homework and started work. After finishing, he grabbed two other homework assignments given to him by some of his school bullies and started frantic work on them. Luckily for him, his tormentors, having flunked several of their own classes, had easy homework. Finishing quickly, he gathers all his things and heads for the front door. Just as he reaches the door a knock rings out.

"Yukinari, are you there? I can hear you" Kirie asked through the door hearing activity inside. Opening the door, Yukinari finds Kirie ready and waiting for their walk to school together. "You're up early! That's good for a change" Kirie compliments Yukinari.

"Yeah: early to bed, early to rise" Yukinari said. They both set off together for school as was common for the two. "So Kirie, not riding in Fukuyama's limo this morning?"

"Nah. Mornings are my favorite time of day so I'd rather walk with you to be honest" Kirie explained. "It's relaxing. You get to wave to the neighbors and take in the fresh morning air, you know? Can't really do that in some fancy, overpriced car."

"That makes sense" Yukinari agreed as the two cross a street.

"So Yukinari, how you holding up? I mean about the break up" Kirie asked. Yukinari hesitates for a moment making Kirie feel guilty for asking.

"I'm fine" Yukinari said. "It was devastating when it happened but I'm coping" he elaborated.

"Not feeling heartbroken?"

"I am a little Kirie. I'm past the worst of that though" Yukinari reveals.

"Oh. I'm glad.." Kirie said. After waving at a woman tending to her garden, Kirie resumes. "Yukinari, about the chalk dust on your uniform, you shouldn't let people do those things to you. You need to stand up to them and fight back!" Yukinari, looking down at the sidewalk says nothing for a moment.

"It's not easy... When you're as short or as weak as me" Yukinari replied. "I've tried it before, telling someone I was not going to do as they said and I got beat up for it."

"Well then you should tell the teacher what happened and have them punished for their bullying" Kirie suggested.

"I've done that once before and all that happened was I was labeled a snitch and targeted by even worse bullies, no, thugs who were friends with the person I told on" Yukinari responded frustrated. "They beat me up too when I wasn't expecting it and worst of all, they weren't students at my school so I couldn't tell on them. I went to the police but all they could do was gather sketches of the people who hit me..." Yukinari paused. "This was about a week ago and the police have no leads. They're still out there somewhere, those guys."

"Yukinari, that's awful! You should have told me about this! How many were they?"

"They were three guys, two of them looked like they weren't too older than me" Yukinari recalled. "One had a narrow face with crooked teeth. He was tall and thin. Another was fat, a big lower jaw and a fat nose with a beanie. The third one was more fit-looking than the other two and he looked like the oldest. He had plain dark-blue hair, broad cheekbones and a square jaw. He looked like the toughest of the three and had tattooed arms. He didn't attack me but he ordered the other two to pummel me. This is what I told the police."

"Tattoos on his arms huh? Perfect, I'll find these guys and teach them a lesson!" Kirie growled. "What were they wearing? Where did this happen?"

"No! Don't get involved Kirie!" Yukinari quickly warned her. "I don't want things to get more complicated!"

"They won't! I'll kick their asses!"

"But what if you get hurt? I don't want you to get hurt Kirie! If you try anything," Yukinari threatened with a serious look on his face, "I-I'll never forgive you."

Kirie, surprised by Yukinari's threat, asks "Yukinari, you're worried about me?"

"Of course I am Kirie. You mean a lot to me" Yukinari assured her. "If you got hurt, I, I don't know what I'd do."

"Yukinari..." Kirie stated simply. She stared at him curiously for an instant. "You should worry about yourself you idiot instead of worrying about others who can take care of themselves!" Kirie, in frustration, exclaimed suddenly.

"I am! That's why I don't fight back and do as I'm told!..." Yukinari protested back. "It's the simplest solution" Yukinari resumed defeated.

"So, so then when will it end?" Kirie asked worried.

"After graduation" Yukinari answers and not wishing to discuss the matter any further, continues walking to school. Kirie, staring at him from behind, tears up slightly pitying him.

"You idiot... Is this how you want to live?" Kirie begged him under her breath, not sure whether he heard her or not, and continued walking behind him not breathing another word.

Arriving at school, immediately shortly after arriving and after having made sure Kirie had parted company, Yukinari approaches a senior at Mizuno High School near a secluded campus corner by the name of Shinichi, a foot taller than Yukinari, chunky and thick-nosed with matted hair, large knuckles and small ears.

"Yukinari, just the guy I wanted to see! You got my work done?" Pulling out a bundle of papers in his bag, Yukinari hands over homework assignments to Shinichi for Shinichi and his friends, assignments filled with answers Yukinari supplied the long night before. Despite Shinichi's higher school grade, he had never excelled in any particular topic and attended the same math class as Yukinari after having been held back. "Very nice, very nice!" Shinichi commented surveying Yukinari's hard work. "Alright, I've got these I need by the beginning of next week" Shinichi began pulling out assignments seemingly out of nowhere. One requiring the reading of a book, more math assignments, and a geography assignment. "Here you go Yukinari! You get those done and make 'em good too!" Yukinari looks down at his new burdens in horror.

"I can't get all this done by next week! This one was assigned weeks ago!" he complained.

"No complaints Punynari!" Shinichi snarled. "You know bad things happen when you get out of line don't you? Have you forgotten?" Shinichi threatened in a low voice looking around for eavesdroppers.

"No! I'll do it" Yukinari quickly answered.

"Very good... Be a good boy and get it done!" Shinichi demanded patting him on the head demeaningly. Yukinari, humiliated and beaten, may have resisted had he not been afraid, had he the power to back up his objection. He was weak and he was very much afraid. "Make sure you get it right and on time!" Shinichi relayed his last words and, accompanied by other shady characters, dissolved into the mass of students entering the school.

The schoolday was little different from the day before: still victimized by several students, forced into doing their school cleaning duties. Yukinari resented them all but he hated himself even more for not doing much of anything to stop the abuse. He had figured things were simpler that way. He had become used to the bullying somewhat but in Shinichi's case, he was starting to take real issue. Having to do other people's assignments during his free time ate away at him, the anger welling up inside him causing him to slam and break the wooden broom against the floor during a forced sweeping duty and tossing other people's textbooks angrily causing loud and disruptive slamming noises as he put them away.

How had it become this bad? He was not used to feeling so frustrated. He had been a victim of bullying for as long as he could remember and thinking back, the bullying took an upturn following the beginning of Kirie and Fukuyama's dating and consequently, no longer hanging out with Kirie as often, he had become exposed to exploitative students. In addition, his break up with Miharu must have made him seem even more vulnerable since he didn't really have any friends. He was not brave enough to stand up for himself but too proud to ask for help from Kirie or anyone else. Asking for Kirie's help, though she would not hesitate, would have caused him just as much, if not, more anguish than the bullying itself. As a result, he did his best to keep the bullying a secret from Kirie out of a terrible shame. Not only out of shame but he also feared she would put herself in harm's way for his sake. He felt stuck and he knew he alone had to do something... But what? Tell the teachers? No! He didn't want to rely on other people! He was disgusted at the thought of having to go to other people when he was in trouble. He wanted a solution from within himself. His short, thin, baby-faced self.

In gym class, looking at his reflection he examined his arms, frail and thin, his legs, almost broomsticks, he felt helpless. His chest and stomach little thicker than an ironing board and his athletic ability non-existent. He was often one of the last to reach the finish line during PE running routines. Out of all classes, PE was his greatest weakness.

With Miharu gone, Kirie not around as often busying herself with Fukuyama and Lisa long since gone, performing who knows what black magic after her heartbreak at Yukinari and Miharu's seemingly steady relationship, he was all alone. Not only was he alone but also helpless, evident in the gym mirror's reflection glaring at him, it too chipping away at Yukinari's remaining confidence. There was however one way to address the situation. Heading for the gym's weight room which was equipped with muscle-building equipment like dumbbell sets and weights of increasing size, he sat and observed the other male students lifting weights, flexing their muscles admiringly and discussing diet plans that 'guaranteed' muscle-building results. He envied them. Whilst he was all skin and bones, the guys working out were athletes in football and basketball, heroes to the school. They seemed to have no fear lifting over a hundred pounds above themselves, pounds rivaling Yukinari's body weight, weights that would fall on top of him if he even dared to attempt the same.

"Hey look guys, isn't that Punynari?" one of the students asked his fellow athletes.

"Yeah, I think it is" answered another random weightlifter. Yukinari, alarmed, made for the exit only to be caught by the neck of his shirt.

"Where you heading there?" asked his captor.

"I-I'm going to class" replied Yukinari struggling.

"Just the man I wanted to see" commented another of the athletes in red sweatbands. "Don't forget to do my mopping duty for today okay?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, me too! I've got garbage duties today" requested the guy with a small scar on his lip.

"Uh, yeah" Yukinari mumbled feebly.

"Glad to hear that!"

"Thanks a bunch there Punynari!" The few students that formed around Yukinari dissipated just as quickly.

"Hey, you're that kid I've heard about. You do people's chores for them for no reason" observed Yukinari's captor holding him by his uniform. Yukinari says nothing and simply bows his head in shame. His reputation seemed to be spreading. It seemed almost to be taking a life of its own. "Don't worry, I won't ask anything of you, I'm not that kind of student" assured the guy holding his shirt. "You should stick up for yourself though, it's kinda messed up what people ask of you" he said as he released him. Yukinari takes a good look at the guy who had one earring on his left ear, brown spiky hair, and dark green eyes. "If I were you, I'd start working on the guns!" he advised flexing his bicep proudly. "You ever think of doing something like that?"

"N-no, not really. It would be great though" Yukinari answered timidly.

"Well, maybe you should start. I could help you" the young man offered. "You see that guy over there?" he asked pointing at another student holding two dumbbells. "He used to be your size, arms as thin as yours and look at him now. I helped him reach that size." Yukinari finds the young man lifting each dumbbell in turn, his biceps bulging menacingly, his face contorted in deep concentration.

"You trained him?"

"Helped train him, and others. The task of toughening up rests ultimately on the person in control of the body" the young man said. Yukinari, giving the offer some deep thought, ultimately rejects it.

"I'm sorry, thanks for the offer but I'm afraid I'll have to decline" Yukinari replied regretfully.

"Oh, well, that's too bad. Good luck though and try to stick up for yourself more often will ya?" the young man finished.

"Thanks." Yukinari, facing the guy who released him, bows in thanks for the advice and just as quickly speeds off out through the exit.

"Strange kid" thought the young man and he went back to his exercising. Yukinari heads off to finish his remaining classes.

After school, Yukinari sets about doing other people's cleaning duties. One by one, he finishes them but instead of leaving school however, he logs onto one of the computers in the computer room and starts to conduct research. He inserts 'Martial Arts' into a search engine and reads up on techniques, studies videos on self-defense and watches fighting tournaments. He looks in amazement as two men combat each other, swiping fists and throwing kicks as the disciplined crowd observes. The two men with bare chests walk around the ring, their faces worn from the fighting, blood on parts of their bodies and faces but neither side surrendering to each others abuse. Finally, the tournament referee ends the fight, the judges issue their verdict, and the arm of one of the fighters flies up to both cheers and jeers from the crowd, the other fighter humbly claps and congratulates his opponent. Yukinari looks up one more thing, prints out his research, and leaves the school grounds.

Yukinari did not head home however. Instead, he headed in the opposite direction towards the shopping district of his hometown of Mizuno, the sun still high in the sky. The center was lined with massive buildings and populated by shops of various kinds. Some stores specialized in manga, others in fashion and others in electronics. The arcades made noises attracting any gamers nearby whilst delicious aromas wafted out of restaurants beckoning any hungry shoppers. Yukinari had no interest in any of these but was instead concentrating on a sheet of paper he had printed out in the computer room. He was searching for an address printed on the page. After 15 minutes of searching, he at last comes up to a small out-of-the-way building with large windows on the front but little activity inside. Through the windows he spots weapons like swords and staffs and he also spots a person at the front counter flipping through a magazine.

"Knock before entering" he reads on the sign on the front door. Gulping hard, Yukinari stretches his shaking arm out and knocks on the spot of the door with a sign right above it that reads 'Underground Fighting Club: No Wimps Allowed' 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Okay, I've decided to include some commentary. Don't really have much to say but please read and review. Oh, and please seek medical advice from a professional before beginning any exercise routine. Thank you everyone for reading!

Season 3 Episode 27: Look Out for Bravo!

Noting the knocking at the front door, the person at the front counter stands and proceeds to the door. "Yes?" the woman, seemingly somewhere in her mid to late twenties, asks wearing glasses and sporting short, dark green hair. "How may I help you there little one? You selling cookies or something?"

"Little one?" Yukinari thinks to himself taking her all in. He stares stunned for a brief moment but then struggles to answer her question.

"Uh, I, I am here for the fight club" Yukinari breathed out nervously. The back of his mind racing, he ponders what the hell he was doing there of all places.

"You? The fight club?" the woman asked, a look of both amusement and derision on her face. Her sharp, violet eyes scrutinize Yukinari's scrawny appearance and she responds. "Look kid, do you see this sign here on the door?" the woman asks pointing at the sign on the door. "No Wimps Allowed. Do you know what that means? It means not you" she declares coldly. "...Or is it possible you think you're not a wimp?" she posed heavily.

"I'm sorry but I want..." he stops.

"You idiot. Is this the life you want?" Kirie's voice echoes in his head.

"I want to become stronger. I want to get better" he declares, his voice shaking, as if he expected her to know what he was talking about. His hands trembling, he meets her look of surprise with a look of both fear and determination. Responding to Yukinari's tone of voice, she thinks for a second and then agrees to let him in.

"Okay, come on in" she signals him and swings the door open. Yukinari, surprised at the sudden change, walks in and looks around. He finds himself in a room with wall from which hung nun-chucks, swords from different parts of the world, wooden staffs, kunai knives, shields, and metal shurikens. "Impressed?" the woman asked.

"Uuhh. They look nice" Yukinari complimented.

"Don't be too impressed: they're decorative. Real ones would cost a fortune" the woman revealed. "The most we use here are staffs which are just long pieces of wood." Looking a bit more closely, Yukinari noticed the items indeed seemed meant more for decoration than actual usage. Opposite the entrance sat the front counter and along the walls sat chairs and near the row of chairs sat a few coffee tables. "Alright kid, over here" announces the woman beckoning him from behind the front counter. "So you want to join us do you?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am, I do..." Yukinari answers in his approach.

"You do know what we do here don't you?"

"Yes ma'am" Yukinari answers simply.

"Very well then. Here" she says handing him a clipboard with an application that initially read:

*Welcome to the UFC: the Underground Fighting Club!  
>We'd like to thank you for taking an interest in our humble little collection of martial arts practitioners and enthusiasts. We here at the UFC dedicate ourselves to providing a positive environment for those interested in the art of combat and bettering themselves through diligent training, dedicated study, and strenuous trials... Or just a place to hit willing strangers if you wish.*<p>

The application read on for a bit, Yukinari making sure to take it all in reading it in its entirety. He skips the legal info however having little interest or understanding of such portions.

"I'm done" he declared to the woman behind the counter.

"You're a quick reader" she complimented him half-heartedly handing Yukinari a pen. "I can see you're meant for this club. Fill this out and sign here please." Yukinari, ignoring her obvious sarcasm, fills out the application and signs along the indicated line, his hand trembling slightly as he writes his signature.

"So is that it?" Yukinari asks handing the clipboard back.

"Yes, that is all" the woman says as she surveys the application. "Let's see here: no heart conditions, no history of health problems... Yes, very good... The only reason we have you sign is just in case you" a brief pause, an anticipation in her voice "get seriously hurt."

"I get what!?" Yukinari exclaimed alarmed.

"I'm sure you heard me. In case you get seriously hurt, we take no responsibility." Yukinari horrified, his stomach dropping, breaks out in a sweat and shiver. He began wondering what he was getting himself into. "Relax, we keep an eye out to help prevent serious injuries. We have members who know first-aid" she assured Yukinari. "On top of that, just by signing doesn't mean we can make you do anything. You're free to chicken out whenever you want" she teased. Yukinari, an uneasy smile returning to his face, laughs nervously.

"Hehehe, tha-that's good to hear" he commented more to relax himself than to reassure her.

"By the way, my name's Nina" the woman introduced herself bowing with her hands and arms at her sides.

Yukinari, relaxing, responds "my name is Yukinari, nice to meet you" and awkwardly bows in return.

"It's an honor to meet you too Yukianri. Alright, shall we begin?"

"Huh, you mean right here? Right now?"

"Yes now but not here silly" she responded leading him through a hallway behind the front counter. "Follow me." Yukinari heeds and follows her through a hallway with mounted pictures of famous martial artists to his left and right. "Don't stare too long. I only WISH those martial artists had something to do with this place" Nina said making Yukinari sort of relieved Nina seemed to have a sense of humor. Turning right then left again, the end of the hallway leads to three doors two of which open to locker rooms, one for each gender and the third door leading to the training room. Nina leads him into the boys lockers which he finds to be filled with the smell of perspiration, a smell not unlike the one he is used to finding at his school's gym.

"This is the boys locker room Yukinari. You're free to use it if you need to though you're just as welcome to use a gym bag to bring and take home your things" Nina informed.

"Yeah, thanks" Yukinari said examining the lockers, all numbered, some personalized.

"Don't worry, guys don't mind me being in here" Nina said noting Yukinari's perplexed look. "Through here" Nina called out from one of the far corners of the locker room.

Opening a large heavy door there, Nina reveals a large room the size of a hangar, illuminated by sun light from outside entering through windows on the ceiling and the walls lined with padding. From the same ceiling hung lights appropriate for a room of its size.

"This is the training room" Nina announced.

Inside he finds several people, some male and others female, wearing black uniforms with the club logo, a dragon wrapping itself around a yin-yang on the uniform's back. Some were lifting weights, others swinging and slicing the air with wooden swords and staffs. In the center, two women walked around inside a chain-link cage, their gazes fixed on each other, their arms poised to strike each other at any moment. Suddenly, one shouts as she charges at the other, her right arm flying into the target's chest. Catching it, the target immediately twists the right arm, pirouettes speedily and flips the attacker onto her back. Her foot immediately raised falls aimed at the attacker who skillfully rolls away and maneuvers herself back up to her feet, arms quickly back into position, both once again back to where they had started.

Yukinari noting the observers around is reminded of the tournament he had watched back at school, his attention frozen in place. He wanted to be able to do that, to be able to move about quickly and attack with such concentration and calm. Was this where he would learn such things?

"Hello there? A new applicant?" asked a boy seemingly Yukinari's age with a dark crew cut.

"Yes, he is. A small one at that" answered Nina.

"Oh! And would he like to start now?" the young man asked Yukinari. Yukinari, looking at Nina, struggles to answer.

"Um..."

"Well Yukinari? Wanna start toughening up now?"

"Y-yes, let's start now, please."

"Alright then, get changed" the boy commanded throwing a club uniform in Yukinari's direction.

"You going to help him start?" Nina asks the boy.

"Yeah, I'll just get him started" the boy answers.

"Alright then. That uniform's not free by the way" Nina announced to Yukinari. "Pay on your way out" she commands as she returned to the entrance room.

Yukinari, having changed into his uniform in the locker room, looked at himself in a mirror unsatisfied. A sleeveless black shirt with flames on the arm openings and black pants with flames at the ends of the pant legs looked out of place on someone like him. The fierce dragon on his back just didn't look like it belonged there. Proceeding back into the training room, a sense of inferiority overtook him.

"This is all you've got?" the boy asked probing Yukinari's left arm. "Maybe you should spend some time at the school playground first before taking on these challenges" the boy ridiculed.

"I-I'm not here to be insulted" Yukinari protested defensively.

"Haha! I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. Uh, the name's Kaito by the way" the young man said bowing his head.

"My name's Yukinari" Yukinari bowed back.

"Alright, first things first: I want to see if you're in shape. I want you to run a few laps around this place" Kaito indicated the walls of the training room. "Okay, go!" Yukinari hesitantly jumped to action and started running around the entire room. Halfway, he grabbed hold of his side before collapsing completely after two laps. "Two laps? Yukinari, you're out of shape" Kaito observed disappointed.

"How... how do I... change that?" Yukinari asked breathing heavy and covered in sweat.

"You do more laps and after that, more laps" Kaito advised. "Alright, push-ups. Do 10." Down on both arms, Yukinari began. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... 6... Yukinari, red in the face struggled to get to 7, his arms trembled feeling like they were about to fall off from the strain and pain. "Okay stop!" Kaito commanded. "Don't force it, you'll only hurt yourself." Yukinari, sitting up, his arms numb, runs his forearm across his forehead.

"How was that?"

"Not bad" Kaito stated simply. "Do this: go home and do some jumping jacks followed by some laps around your neighborhood until you can't no more, that's key. Do this daily always setting the bar higher for yourself when you've become used to your routine. In other words, if you've become used to doing 20 jumping jacks, try doing 40 without stopping. Also, do some heavy lifting but not too heavy that you hurt yourself."

"Thanks. So, are you one of the trainers here?"

"I'm not a trainer. I'm new here: I've been here for just three months" Kaito revealed.

"Really?" Yukinari asks in surprise.

"Yep. And don't worry, you'll get better. I was like you when I started and now I'm starting to see some results" Kaito commented flexing his modest bicep.

"Only three months?"

"Yep and I could only do one lap and four push-ups when I started. Some of us see immediate results, others take time. Regardless, keep at it Yukinari and good luck."

Yukinari proceeds home after paying for his uniform and thinks about what Kaito had said. Only three months? Just one lap and four push-ups? He begins to imagine himself after three months there and foresees his biceps growing with large pecs and abs, his lung capacity increasing and for some reason, a crew cut on his head which immediately puts a stop to his musings. Crew cuts aren't his thing, he likes his hair the way it is.

Arriving home with the sky a bright orange, Yukinari pulls out his house key and lets himself in. Closing the door, he collapses on his floor. "What a tiring experience" Yukinari thought, the side of his face to the carpet. Resting, he closes his eyes and contemplates just sleeping then and there. He lies down for an unknown amount of time drifting in and out of sleep... After a moment, he suddenly feels unknown hands swiftly grabbing his wrists and tying them up behind his back. Another set of hands do the same to his ankles tying them much the same way. Finally, a large amount of rope is tied all around his body and he's pulled up to standing position half asleep by his unknown captors.

"Objective accomplished, we're pulling out" Yukinari hears to his left.

"Ko-Kosame?" Yukinari asks sleepily looking to his left.

"Very good work, reel him in" rings out Lisa's unmistakable voice from a device on Kosame's wrist.

"Gag! Blindfold!" commands Hayate from Yukinari's right.

"Hayamnf?" Yukinari barely manages as Kosame ties a cloth covering his mouth. Another cloth is tied covering his eyes. Immediately, Yukinari's two captors pick him up, carry him out the front door and charge full speed to the street where a black van awaited. Tossing him inside, the van speeds off to, Yukinari knows for certain, the Fukuyama estate.

"Miharu was nowhere within the household" he hears Kosame comment.

"That's okay, we have our main objective in custody" Hayate answers. The van takes off just as a suspicious Kirie spots it driving up the street from a parking space in front of Yukinari's home. After a short drive, the van comes to a complete stop. Yukinari, blindfolded, cannot tell what's going on but he does hear the doors of the van open suddenly and feels the now known hands from before picking him up and carrying him off somewhere.

"Lemnf mff ngoo!" he exclaims underneath the cloth over his mouth. He puts up a valiant struggle and wiggles as hard as he can only to have a stinging sensation suddenly hit his thigh. His body goes numb though he is sure he is still conscious.

"Very good. Set him down on this table here" Lisa's voice commands from somewhere. Yukinari feels himself laid down against a cold hard surface and his blindfold is removed. Looking around, he finds Lisa standing next to him, a staff with a skull at its end at her side.

"Where's Miharu?" Lisa asked her assistants.

"We failed to locate her ma'am" Hayate answered.

"Really?... No matter. I have what I want" Lisa finished. "We'll deal with her in a later time... Good evening my love!" she whispered looking at Yukinari with love-filled eyes. "Welcome to the beginning of our life" she announces raising her voice. "Our life united as one!" Yukinari looking around finds a large, almost empty rectangular room with all six sides, walls, floor, and ceiling completely colored black. Tall torches ablaze at its four corners, the only sources of light, illuminate the room weakly and a large black cauldron sitting behind Lisa emits a thick green fog and a bubbling sound. With a large wooden spoon Lisa stirs the contents slowly. "All done!" Lisa declares. Pouring the contents into two goblets, Lisa approaches Yukinari. "Remove the cloth around his mouth" Lisa commands. Hayate obeys.

"What, what is that!?" Yukinari exclaims at the liquid in the goblet.

"It's our destiny" Lisa whispers amorously climbing on top of Yukinari and lifting his head.

"Noo!" Yukinari screams watching the goblet approach his lips.

"Now now. We must drink these at around the same time or it won't work" Lisa instructs.

"Stop this at once!" Fukuyama's voice shouts out from somewhere behind Yukinari as doors open and a flood of light illuminates the room.

"Leave him alone!" Kirie's voice rings out enraged. "Get that crap away from him!" she demanded referring to the goblets in Lisa's hands.

"I knew you'd show up" Kosame said charging full speed at Kirie.

"Aaah! Get away from me!" Kirie exclaims as both cross attacks.

"Lisa, don't you dare!" Fukuyama commands his younger sister. "You know I can find you a suitable soulmate. Punynari's not worthy!"

"Hayate, deal with him!" Lisa commands climbing down from the table.

"Yes ma'am" Hayate obeys pulling out a pistol.

"Lilica!" Fukuyama calls out. Lilica, Fukuyama's chief maid and war veteran, enters the room armed with a pistol of her own. Hayate immediately then pulls out a rifle. Lilica does likewise. They both pull out shotguns, assault rifles, grenades and even RPGs.

"It appears we're at a stalemate little sister" Fukuyama observes as Hayate and Lilica stare each other down.

"Good point. Stand down Hayate, I'll deal with him" Lisa commands stepping forward.

"Remain on stand-by Lilica. I'll deal with my younger sister" Fukuyama repeats facing his sister. "So little sister, must we go back to the days of our youth? Am I going to have to wrestle my little sister down to the ground like when she was a baby?"

"Thundershock!" Lisa yells out pointing her staff at Fukuyama, a bolt of electricity shooting out from its end.

"AAaaaahhh!" Fukuyama shrieks in pain collapsing on the floor fried from head to toe. "That... damned staff" he exhales out along with black smoke.

"Humph, simpleton... Now my love" starts Lisa turning around to the now empty table, her toppled goblets and cauldron. "Huh?... Where'd he go!? And who dared ruin my elixir!?" she yells enraged. Looking out the entrance, she sees Kirie running full speed, a tied up Yukinari in her arms.

"Wait Miss Kirie!" yells Kosame from the black room, her arms tied up by Kirie's bra. Out in the hallway, Kirie makes her way through the mansion running past several of Fukuyama's maids and out the front door. Hurrying across the paved pathway that went straight through the hedge maze that surrounded the mansion, she ran to an awaiting limo outside the grounds of the Fukuyama estate.

"Drive! Get us out of here!" Kirie yells after jumping into the limo. Fukuyama's chauffeur obeys and speeds off to Yukinari's home. Kirie catches her breath, her heart racing.

"Kirie... Thank you!" Yukinari said exhausted.

"Don't mention it" Kirie said collapsing. Arriving back, Kirie and an untied Yukinari enter his home only to find to their horror a seated Lisa peacefully sipping tea on the living room table. Kosame, Kirie's large bra sitting on her head, and Hayate stood at the blonde witch's sides.

"You're finally home!" Lisa declared.

"Wh-what are you doing here!?" Yukinari asks incredulous. "How did you get here so fast?"

"Magic silly" Lisa answered indicating her staff on her lap.

"Why are you here?" Yukinari asks.

"I've decided to move in. If I can't have you then you'll have me."

"How. What.. Suddenly!?"

"That's right, we're soulmates aren't we? Make room for my assistants" Lisa commands.

"This is against the law!" Kirie said sharply.

"Not when your family owns the bank that owns the mortgage to this place" Lisa counters, an evil look in her eye. "Technically, my family owns this place. Hahahahahaha!"

"I-in that case, I-I'll be moving in with him too!" Kirie announces finding no other way. "Don't worry Yukinari, I'll protect you from her." Yukinari, in his incredible exhaustion, simply collapses on the living room sofa. Kirie immediately sits between him and Lisa. "I'm keeping an eye on you Lisa" warns Kirie. A hand begins to rub Kirie's back suddenly. Behind her, Kosame with Kirie's bra on her head stands looking down amorously at Kirie.

"And I at you Miss Kirie" Kosame, wearing Kirie's bra on her head, said causing shivers to crawl up Kirie's spine. Stopping her from jumping on top of Kirie, Hayate yanks the leash tied around Kosame's neck.

"And I at you Kosame" declares Hayate. Kosame with puppy dog eyes looks back at Hayate who shows no mercy holding tight to her leash.

"Miss Kirie, you belong to me!" Kosame calls out reaching out to Kirie.

"Get away from him!" Kirie protests pulling at Lisa's waist.

"No, he's mine!" Lisa counters wrapping her arms around Yukinari. "And you owe me for ruining my elixir!"

"I just want some rest!" an almost unconscious Yukinari screams somewhere deep in his mind, his allergy ablaze.

Author's note: For those wondering why Lisa did not simply use magic to abduct Yukinari, her current teleportation magic only works when those being teleported are willing participants. Hence why. 


	4. Chapter 4

Season 3 Episode 28: Hard Work is Bravo!

Yukinari slept uneasily that night. A recurring dream was bothering him again: he dreamt of a crowd of people chasing him through an unknown location shrouded in fog. The crowd knocked him down to the ground after a short pursuit and one from the crowd seized his arms and pinned them to the ground. Another one began punching him in his stomach and kicking him in the ribs. The strange fog shrouded his pursuers' and attackers' faces in part but their familiar voices rang out clearly: the voices of his assailants.

"Weak little Punynari! You can't fight back pipsqueak! You're worthless! Snitches deserve to be pummeled! No one can save you!" random voices rang out from the crowd. "What can you do? All you can do is beg for mercy! Beg coward, that is all you can do! Squeal like the little helpless worm you are!"

"No!" Yukinari shouted, suddenly breaking his abusers' grip on his arms. Somehow, he gained the strength to overpower them getting back to his feet. Looking down at his attackers, a look of sudden fear in their partially shrouded faces, Yukinari swung his right arm fiercely striking and tossing his frightened abusers away from him, their bodies falling away limp like rag dolls. The crowd around him immediately disbanded and two seemingly unconscious bodies lay at his feet... Yukinari stands there not knowing what to do next. Immediately, invisible tentacles seemingly out of nowhere wrapped themselves around his neck. Though unseen, they imposed their weight as though real and pulled him down.

"L-let go!" Yukinari screamed gesturing at his neck and falling to his knees.

"My love, have you awakened?" Lisa's voice rang out from somewhere. Yukinari opening his eyes finds a topless Lisa on top of him, both of them lying on his bed, the blanket at their waists. "You've awakened finally" announced Lisa, her arms wrapped around Yukinari's neck.

"Huh!?... AAAaahhhh!" Yukinari screamed, his allergy bursting forth. "Lisa, g-get away from me! Get out!"

"But we're soulmates! This is what husband and wife do at night!" Lisa said maintaining her grip.

"Nooo! We're not..." Yukinari grunted pulling Lisa away from him by her waist.

"Oooh Yukinari! I love when you play rough!" Lisa said affectionately.

"Yukinari, what's the matter!?" Kirie demanded entering the room suddenly. Taking in the scene before her, she is immediately enraged.

"So... this is what you've been up to all night is it!?" Kirie in her night clothes asked in a false calm, her reddened face twisting in angered.

"W-wait Kirie! It's not what it looks like Kirie, I swear!" Yukinari claims as the brunette cracks her knuckles and approaches his bed.

"That's right Kirie, Yukinari and I..." Lisa paused, her face tomato-red and a wide mischievous grin across it, "last night... be-became one!"

"Yukinari, you disgusting pervert!" Kirie shouted pulling him away from Lisa's grip. She punches him in the face knocking him down to his bedroom floor and rendering him unconscious from her hit and his aggravated allergy. Opening his eyes for a second time that morning, he finds himself lying on his bed again, a moist cotton ball dabbing his eye.

"Don't move honey" Lisa now back in her pajamas commanded swiftly. "I'm applying rubbing alcohol to your eye."

"What? Why?" Yukinari asked shutting his sore left eye suddenly. Looking into a hand mirror Lisa pulled out, he finds his left eye blackened upon the mirror's reflection.

"Yu-Yukinari, I'm really really sorry!" Kirie quickly pleaded kneeling at the bed's edge, a look of terrible guilt on her face.

"I-it's okay Kirie. I'm okay" Yukinari assured her.

"Humph, some neighbor you are Kirie! Yukinari's lucky I'm here to help him!" Lisa boasted tending to Yukinari's bruised eye.

"I, I could do that too!" Kirie adamantly claimed seizing the container of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball from the top of Yukinari's bedside table. Before she could join Lisa in tending to Yukinari's eye, Yukinari sat up in his bed and gestured them to stop.

"It's okay, I think I'm fine" Yukinari told them as he could feel the pain in his eye fading slowly. Getting to his feet, he asks the two to leave his room, Lisa and Kirie exit allowing Yukinari to change out of his night clothes.

"Nice going there Kirie" Lisa reprimands after walking out.

"I-it looked really wrong, okay!?" Kirie responds as Lisa makes her way to the living room. With the girls out of his room, Yukinari set out to change. After changing, he began packing his club uniform into a gym bag along with a water bottle and a few snacks and proceeded to his kitchen leaving his gym bag in his room, his stomach asking him noisily for breakfast.

"Good morning Yukinari" Lisa greeted Yukinari wearing an apron over day clothes in front of the stove. "Breakfast is done and will be served shortly dear." Yukinari finds Kirie in a Devil Bats jersey sitting on the living room sofa twiddling her thumbs uneasily, in part from the guilt she felt for losing her temper and hitting Yukinari. "Here you are Yukinari. Eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice" Lisa announced presenting a plate and cup in front of Yukinari. "A breakfast with a western theme to start your morning!"

"Wow, this looks... good. What about you Kirie, are you hungry?"

"No thanks..." Kirie answered maintaining her attention forward, guilt not yet abandoning her.

"Oh. Okay..." Yukinari began eating, Lisa sitting next to him at the table with her own breakfast before her.

"Is it good dear?"

"Yes, it is. Thank you so much!" Yukinari said gratefully. He then turned to Kirie and says "Are you sure you don't-"

"I'm fine" Kirie interrupted politely still remaining seated. The two at the table continue eating. After a few quiet moments nibbling at her breakfast, Lisa breaks the silence.

"So dear, where's Miharu? She's not one to miss breakfast." Yukinari, struck by the question, stops eating and takes a quick glance at Kirie. Despite still finding her seated, the same as before, he can somehow feel in her the same discomfort he was feeling.

"She's gone back to Seiren to visit relatives. She'll return in a week" Yukinari lied differently this time.

"Oh really?" Lisa asked finishing her breakfast. Getting up, she deposits her plate and cup in the sink.

"Well, let's make sure we give her a warm welcome when she gets back!" Lisa stated simply.

"We?" Yukinari thought. Kirie, standing up without any warning, heads for the door.

"I promised Fukuyama we'd go out today. Yukinari, I'll see you later." With these final words, Kirie exited out the front door.

"Finally!" Lisa exclaimed throwing herself at Yukinari.

"W-wait!" Yukinari exclaimed alarmed catching Lisa. "I just remembered something. I have to go somewhere too!"

"What? We were supposed to go out today!"

"We were? No we weren't!" Running back to his room to grab his gym bag, Yukinari makes his way out the front door, Lisa holding on to the back of his shirt getting dragged behind him. "Lisa! I have to go!" Releasing Yukinari, Lisa is left behind at the house's entrance.

"Yukinari you jerk! We are soulmates! Soulmates!" she yelled as Yukinari left the premises. Closing the front door, Lisa stands up. "Hayate, Kosame!" she commands all of a sudden. Immediately her two assistants appear before her almost as if out of thin air bowing respectfully.

"Yes ma'am" they both answered in unison.

"What of your findings?"

"We've failed to locate Miharu" Hayate reported.

"We've looked for items that may have belonged to her within this household but have located little" Kosame added. "We have thus concluded that she may no longer reside here."

"May no longer reside here? Interesting" Lisa commented biting her thumb. "Very good work, you may withdraw until further instruction."

"Yes ma'am" they both again answered together and disappeared seemingly into thin air the same way.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari arrives at the UFC after a moderate walk and enters to find Nina at the front counter. "Well hello there Yukinari!" Nina greeted him. "What happened to your eye?" she asked noting its color.

"I was playing basketball and I got hit in the eye" Yukinari fibbed thinking quickly.

"Is that so?" Nina said with an unconvinced tone. "Well hope you get well soon and good luck in your training!" She finished brightly.

"Yeah, thanks" Yukinari said guiltily proceeding to the locker room. Having changed into his club uniform, the club logo of a dragon wrapped around a yin-yang on his back, he enters the training room. After wondering what he should do first, he starts jogging around the room passing by other club members engaged in weight lifting and bag punching. After only 2 laps, Yukinari starts feeling the same strain from the day before, a stitch at his side and his breath becoming short. He collapses breathing heavily trying to get his wind back.

"Hey, I didn't know you were a member here" a voice near him asked. Looking up, he finds the guy from gym class who offered him training once before. Pulling Yukinari up by his arm, the young man introduces himself. "The name's Masashi. I should have introduced myself yesterday actually" he bowed chuckling.

"My... name's Yukinari" Yukinari responded bowing but still recovering from his run.

"Um, you need any help?" Masashi asked.

"No thanks, I think I can handle this" Yukinari responded straightening up.

"What happened to your eye?" Masashi asked concerned.

"He got that playing basketball" answered Nina unexpectedly with a slight smirk on her face.

"Is that so?"

"Yes" Yukinari answered weakly.

"You should be more careful when playing sports" Nina said and then directed her attention at other members in the training room.

"Miss Nina, I'm sorry but can I get a hand over here?" a female club member with curly hair called out. "I, I don't know how to use this" she said indicating a piece of gym equipment.

"Sure thing Enri. I'll be right there." Nina responds and then turns to Yukinari. "Yukinari, don't be afraid to ask for help or if anything is troubling you, you let me know, okay?" Yukinari stays silent for a moment but then quickly responds.

"M-Miss Nina! It's really nothing like that!" he says realizing Miss Nina was referring to his darkened eye. "I, I swear!" he insisted. Silence.

"...Very well then" Nina responds and she parts just as quickly as she had appeared.

"You didn't really get that from basketball did you Yukinari?" Masashi asked doubtfully.

"No, but I didn't get it from someone attacking me or anything like that either. A friend did this to me" Yukinari explained. "She didn't do it on purpose" Yukinari quickly added noting Masashi's puzzled look.

"So then what?"

"She has a bit of a temper and she got mad at me. Her name is Kirie."

"Kirie? Kirie Kojima?" Masashi asked, his eyes widening. "I've heard of her. Man, what a temper. I've heard she's broken school windows from her tantrums even!"

"She can actually be a very sweet and compassionate person. Heroic even! But her reputation doesn't help" Yukinari said.

"And you're friends with her? You are lucky! She's the cutest girl in school!" Masashi revealed. "As a matter of fact, I think she might have a thing for you!"

"I, I don't know about that..." Yukinari said not giving the idea much thought.

"And you're letting Fukuyama steal her from you?" Masashi gasped. "...Man, I wouldn't let Mizuno's biggest boobs get away from me" he finished in a low voice, his face looking away wearing a mischievous expression. "I guess when you have looks and money, you get the highest caliber of woman."

"She's just a friend!" Yukinari said firmly. "And I don't appreciate you speaking of her in that way."

"S-sorry, general man-talk" Masashi backed off.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lift some weights" Yukinari excused himself. Moments later, Yukinari returned to Masashi who was busy with push-ups.

"Um, Masashi. Can you help me out a bit?" Yukinari asked swallowing his pride. "I... don't know how to use some of the machines and I think I need someone called a spotter for some of them." Not long after, Masashi was spotting Yukinari who was struggling to raise a barbell above his chest. With his back to the bench, his face red, his arms trembled trying to straighten fully.

"Alright, 18 is enough" Masashi announced taking the barbell from Yukinari and mounting it back on the bench's arms. Next came push-ups. Yukinari finished eight before falling, his arms feeling like they were about to fall off. "Eight. Not bad" Masashi complimented.

"That's one more than yesterday" Yukinari announced somewhat proudly.

"Good for you. Maybe tomorrow will be nine or ten." Afterwards, sit-ups came and went, Yukinari's abdomen on fire by the 24th sit-up. For one hour, Yukinari worked diligently on all of Masashi's workout demands which ranged from modified pull-ups due to Yukinari's beginner status to lifting the dumbbells he was holding on both hands. This accompanied by jumping jacks and jogs but never anything too taxing. By the end of it all, despite the slow pace, Yukinari was a sweaty exhausted mess on the training room floor.

"I think that should do for today" Masashi announced.

"That's... all?" Yukinari asked breathing heavily.

"Yeah, you should be done for the day."

"No" Yukinari said simply sitting up and gazing at his hands and arms. He seemed amazed that he was still in one piece but at the same time looked disappointed with his results. "I don't want to stop. I was finally starting to get used to it and now I have to stop?" Yukinari asked feeling a growing pride and satisfaction.

"Well, yes. You have to rest when you work out."

"But, can't I continue?"

"If you want but I wouldn't recommend it considering you're a beginner." Yukinari said nothing and continued examining himself, at his arms and legs, sore from the strain. "Yukinari, why are you here? What are you here for?" Masashi asked observing closely. Yukinari for a time remained silent then answered.

"To become stronger, like anyone else."

"But I've been a member here for a while and I've never seen a beginner work so hard at this than you have. I'd say about 75% of beginners quit at this point and some even begin to complain earlier but you want to go on? Surely there is more to.. Of course, you've grown tired of the bullying! You want to get back at them don't you? A desire for revenge!"

"No, that's not it" Yukinari said to Masashi's surprise. "I've grown tired of my helplessness and my record of disappointment. Always giving in to outside forces and so I want to better myself." Masashi fell silent momentarily.

"If you want to get stronger quickly, ask Nina to help you" Masashi advised. "If there's anyone who can help you get stronger and quickly, it's her... But go home first and rest up, I'll talk to her and see if I can convince her to help you out." Yukinari, heeding Masashi's word, proceeded to the lockers, changed back to his day clothes and packed up his gym bag. On his way out, he finds Nina and Masashi finishing a conversation across the front counter.

"Hello Yukinari" Nina greets.

"Hello Miss Nina" Yukinari returns.

"So? How'd it go?" Nina asked.

"It, it went well" Yukinari said feeling he had accomplished something, however minor.

"I'm glad to hear that" Nina says smiling his way. "Masashi told me about your eye. Good to hear it wasn't anything serious."

"N-no, not at all" Yukinari confirms.

"I was afraid you were in some sort of trouble, actually" Nina adds.

"I was afraid of that too" Masashi contributed.

"Miss Nina, Masashi, I appreciate your concern but I swear, I'm in no trouble" Yukinari lied. He purposefully does not mention Shinichi and his tyranny. Yukinari was not one to burden other people with his own problems.

"Well, if you insist..." Nina finished. "...So Yukinari, Masashi told me you want to get real strong real fast?" Nina asked him as he exited the hallway.

"Yes" Yukinari declared, his voice confident.

"Very well then. Come back tomorrow and I'll help train you."

"O-okay" Yukinari agreed exiting out the front door. With Yukinari gone from the entrance room, Masashi turned to Nina.

"So you're going to train him huh? Don't go too hard on him" Masashi said.

"He'll be my student and I'll train him as I see fit. I'll take into consideration that he's a beginner but then I'll break him" Nina said, a poisonous smile on her face.

"Good luck Yukinari. She's a merciless one" thought Masashi returning back to the training room.

-TRANSITION-

On his way home, Yukinari, walking by a construction site, pilfered a few bricks and loaded them into his bag increasing its weight. It now felt almost like the barbell he was lifting above himself several moments before. He heaved the bag and began running home stopping regularly to catch his breath and then starting again. He didn't know what had suddenly gotten into him but he wanted to feel the strain again, the struggle and pain. By the time he had gotten home, his arms were sore again from carrying the bag and his feet felt swollen. Leaving the bag at the entrance, Yukinari collapsed like before but he forced himself on his hands and knees, sweat dripping from his face onto the carpet and forcing air into his lungs in deep breaths. Wiping away the sweat with a towel and emptying his water bottles, he rehydrated and headed for his living room. There he found Kirie sitting patiently as though waiting for him, his television tuned to a crime investigation show.

"Oh, Yukinari, you're home!"

"Kirie, what are you doing here?" Yukinari asked perplexed.

"I was waiting for you" Kirie revealed before shifting in her spot uncomfortably. "I, I wanted to apologize for this morning. I lost my temper and I hurt you. I'm really sorry" Kirie said awkwardly.

"Oh..." Yukinari said and after briefly staring at Kirie who was squirming, he smiled. "It's okay Kirie. Don't worry about it. I forgive you."

"Are you sure?" Kirie asked.

"Yeah" Yukinari confirmed.

"Yukinari, you're too forgiving" Kirie said breathing a sigh of relief. Yukinari could do nothing but continue to smile. "It doesn't hurt anymore does it?"

"Not anymore Kirie. Relax."

"...Okay..." Kirie agreed.

"Where's Lisa by the way?" Yukinari asked expecting Lisa to pop out from somewhere at any moment.

"She's home" Kirie revealed.

"Really? How'd you convince her to-"

"I didn't convince to do anything. Her parents ordered her home, the only people who seem to be able to order her around. I mean, makes sense since they're Lisa's assistants' employers, according to Fukuyama."

"That makes sense" Yukinari finished sitting on his bed.

"Yukinari, you smell sweaty" Kirie commented bluntly. "What were you up to?"

"Oh, sorry. I ran here and got all sweaty" Yukinari elaborated.

"From where?"

"Doesn't matter" Yukinari quickly said dismissing her question. "..So how'd it go Kirie? Your outing with Fukuyama?"

"Could have been better: we went to a basketball game together. I liked it but could have been more fun if Fukuyama had liked it too. He hated it" Kirie said. "He's not a sports kind of guy" she said resentfully. "When he wasn't gawking at the cheerleaders, he was whining about there being too many guys and not enough girls around him."

"Sorry to hear that" Yukinari said. Kirie shrugged as though saying it was no big deal. "Kirie, I'm going to wash up so-"

"Wait, one more thing" Kirie interrupted. She approaches Yukinari and places the back of her hand on his forehead.

"What?"

"Your allergy. It reacted earlier when Lisa was touching you."

"Yeah, like I said, it's fading but it's not completely gone. I think it happens when I get stressed out more than simply touching girls."

"Okay, I'm happy to hear that" Kirie said and smiled warmly. "I'll be going home now" Kirie said calmly heading for the front door.

"Good night Yukinari" Kirie yelled from the entrance noting the darkening sky.

"Good night" he yelled back. Entering the bath room, he took an unusually refreshing bath. He had never felt baths after strenuous workouts before but they were somehow more relaxing than regular baths. Moments later, he found himself in his room again in night clothes, his hair moist from the wash. "Oh yeah" he suddenly recalled pulling out school assignments, other peoples' and his own. He got to and finished his schoolwork first of all and then set out to do others' works. He was annoyed by it but he tolerated it. For some reason however, for the first time in his life he felt like doing things he used to do in gym class rather than tending to paper assignments. 


	5. Chapter 5

Season 3 Episode 29: New Trainer is Bravo!

Yukinari awakened from his sleep and immediately felt sore in places. The pain was anything but comfortable but part of him felt proud about the sensation. For an instant he wondered if he had dreamt all the things that had happened to him the day before.. No, it all seemed too real to have been a dream and the pain he was feeling was proof. He wanted to go back and do it all again, where the urge was coming from he did not know. Getting up, he stretched his arms and legs as though attempting to shake out his discomfort. "Alright, I can do this!" he told himself, punched the air and jogged in place briefly in his night clothes. After changing into cargo pants and a blue short-sleeve shirt, he finished breakfast and with his gym bag at his side, he set out his front door, the sun shining brightly in the sky. Setting off to the UFC, Yukinari takes a deep breath of morning fresh air. "I wonder what Nina's training will be like?" he thought to himself walking by the construction site from yesterday.

Moments later at the UFC's door, Yukinari knocked and was let in by Nina dressed in the club uniform, her dark green hair which usually hung down to her shoulders tied up into a ponytail. "Well good morning there Yukinari! You're here early!" Nina said brightly.

"Good morning Miss Nina" Yukinari greeted back.

"You ready to get started today?" Nina asked.

"Yes ma'am" Yukinari answered.

"Very good, very good" Nina said closing the entrance door. "Now enough talk, get dressed and meet me at the training room" Nina ordered politely. Yukinari, heeding her word, proceeded to the boys lockers and began changing into his uniform.

"He-hey kid" a boy with short puffy brown hair about his age said sitting next to him. "Are you the one training with Nina?

"Yeah, I am."

"Oh really" the boy said tossing his uniform shirt over his head. "Good luck. You'll need it."

"What? What do you mean?" Yukinari asked worried.

"You'll see" the boy finished walking off to the training room. Yukinari, preferring not to give what he was told much thought, entered the training room in full uniform. Looking around he found the club members all in full training, swinging wooden swords and spinning nunchucks, performing chin-ups and jabbing dummies.

"You're all suited up I see" Nina commented from behind Yukinari.

"Oh, yes ma'am, as you asked" Yukinari said turning around.

"Okay, let's begin. Let's start easy with a few laps around this room" Nina said adjusting her glasses. Yukinari, with a nod, begins to run along the training room's walls.

"Don't stop 'til I tell you to" Nina says as Yukinari completes one lap. Two laps, three laps, four laps... Yukinari stops, his hands on his knees.

"Tell me something" Nina requested looking at Yukinari breathing heavily and sweating. "What is your goal in joining this club?"

"I" Yukinari started still catching his breath. "I want to get stronger."

"Stronger huh? How fast do you want to get stronger?"

"What do you mean?"

"I spoke with Masashi and he's told me about the bullying. Are you being bullied at school?" Yukinari felt uneasy at this line of questioning but decided to be honest.

"Yeah... But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I just want to see if I can be stronger."

"You're not here to learn how to kick their asses? That's a shame, that would have made a great motivator" Nina said abruptly crossing her arms disappointed. Yukinari didn't know how to respond to her comment. He had always thought that martial arts were meant for self-defense, not revenge.

"But isn't that some sort of code violation or something?"

"If someone's being an asshole, kick their ass. Simple right?" Nina said bluntly. "Do you wanna learn how to kick their asses or not Yukinari?" Nina asked growing tired of having to talk.

"I guess learning to fight would be a part of growing stronger" Yukinari finally admitted thinking deeply.

"Okay Yukinari, so you want to learn to fight then? Say it!" Nina demanded.

"I, I want to learn to fight!" Yukinari declared.

"Louder!"

"I want to learn to fight!" Yukinari said forcefully.

"One more time Yukinari!"

"I want to fight!" Yukinari yelled once more.

"Do you?"

"Yes!" Yukinari yelled, his eyes filled with intent.

"Do you think you can take a punch!?" she asked forcefully.

"Yes! What?-Oouff!" Yukinari ejected a bellyful of air, drops of spit flying out of his mouth landing on the training room floor. Nina's fist buried deep into Yukinari's gut, his body doubling over, his legs too soft to hold him up any longer, he fell and curled up. "Agkh, koff koff, koff aghk" Yukinari coughed trying to regain the breath that had shot out.

"I guess that's a no" Nina commented flexing her wrist.

"Wha-what was that for?" Yukinari asked, his face seemingly on the verge of tears.

"What? You said yes. Don't you dare cry!" Nina told Yukinari, a venom in her voice. "The last thing you want to do is cry especially in front of me!"

"No!" Yukinari rebelled already on his hands and feet regaining his breath. "I want to be stronger and I want to be able to fight!"

"How fast?"

"Fast" Yukinari answered still not understanding what it meant to become stronger fast. He had always thought strength came from several months of hard work, perhaps even years.

"Good. Get up" Nina directed at Yukinari still on his hands and feet. "Now Yukinari!" She exclaimed pulling him up by his shirt. "You want to get strong fast don't you!? Well guess what, we're going to do a week's worth of training in one day! How's that sound?"

"Th-that can't be possible" Yukinari said frightened.

"It is and we're starting today! Give me another lap!" she demanded kicking his back.

"But I just gave you-" Yukinari was cut off by Nina suddenly locking his head under her arm which felt surprisingly heavy and muscular. Pulling a leash and collar seemingly out of nowhere, she ties the collar around his neck, wraps the leash tight around her fist and then begins to jog, Yukinari struggling to keep up tired from the previous laps.

"If you fall behind, I'll drag you around this room!" barked Nina. "I swear I will!"

Yukinari, putting all his effort on his legs, legs numbed by pain feeling as though ready to burst, and gripping the collar around his neck said nothing and ran. He closed his eyes hoping to lessen the strain but his legs gave way once again regardless. Now on his back, he was dragged around the training room for a minute by the collar around his neck, his hands still holding the collar tightly. Coming to a stop, Nina drops the leash on him in disgust and walks off somewhere unknown to Yukinari. Looking around, he finds everyone in the training room looking his way, Masashi among them with a look of concern, Kaito with a look of amusement. The boy who had wished him luck the only one refusing to look his way. A stabbing pain on his rib cage becomes more noticeable as his legs regain their feeling but continue throbbing, his breath again gone.

Closing his eyes, he lies there collar still tight around his neck heaving air in and out of his lungs. Resting, he pondered what it could mean to do a week's worth of training in one day. Could it be over? No, ridiculous. Surely there was more. After hearing the sound of brisk footsteps approaching him, he felt a sudden splash of water hit his face, some shooting up his nose painfully forcing him back up on to his hands and knees.

"What was that!?" Yukinari exclaimed in disbelief, water dripping from his head and upper body.

"Rest time is over!" Nina declared holding an empty bucket at her side. "Push-ups, now!" she demanded. Yukinari, fearing reprisal, got to his hands and quickly began, his body moving faster than his brain. All energy he could muster was concentrated in his arms and nowhere else. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 push ups before once again falling flat on his chest. "Sit-ups, your abs aren't torn to shreds yet!" spat Nina grabbing tight hold of Yukinari's ankles and pinning them to the floor. 1, 2, 3, 4 Yukinari began, his fingers locked behind his head. His legs were swollen, his shoulders aflame and now his abs felt like they were set aflame. 25, 26, 27, 28. Yukinari pushed himself onward, his face red from the struggle until by the 32nd, he stopped, his back this time flat against the floor. Pulling him by his legs, Nina drags Yukinari under the room's horizontal bar. "Pull-ups. Are you ready?" Yukinari, breathing heavily stares up at his new challenge, too exhausted to even grimace at the new obstacle. "Two minute break" Nina said simply leaving Yukinari flat on his back under the horizontal bar.

"Two minutes? That can't be enough" Yukinari thought. Although in a state of disbelief at what was happening to him, he concentrated. He concentrated every bit of energy into his biceps which would do the most work in pulling his chin up and above the metal bar above him...

Footsteps. Yukinari heard the same footsteps approaching from before and sure enough, Nina had returned. "Here" Nina said holding a water bottle to Yukinari who strained to sit up. He accepts the bottle and drinks from it heartily. Nina then places her ear to his chest.

"M-Miss Nina, what are you doing!?" Yukinari asked in slight alarm.

"Your heart is strong" she said listening to his heartbeat. "But is your mind weak?" Nina posed. "We'll find out soon! Get up and grab hold of the bar" she commanded helping to lift Yukinari up seemingly with ease. Again without thinking, his hands found the metal bar and he began lifting, his face twisted in anguish. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... 8. His arms locked up bent at a right angle and he stopped moving. Half of him wanted to let go and half of him wanted to go back up. Indecisive, he remained fixed in his place for a moment, his biceps straining. "Keep that position" Nina demanded. Yukinari obeyed, his arms starting to burn as 30 seconds came and went. At the minute, his arms were on fire and he could hold on no longer. He fell again flat on his back.

It must have been a bizarre sight for all those in the club watching: Nina lifting up a collapsed Yukinari and dragging him over to various exercise equipment. To them it seemed as though Nina was repeatedly reviving a dead body by pushing workout routines on it and barking orders. The ritual lasted for several minutes, Nina always making sure to work on different muscle groups and making sure to allow them to rest before working on them again. Finally, after many collapsings and tiny breaks, Nina granted Yukinari a generous ten-minute rest.

"Wow, I can't believe you've actually lasted twenty minutes!" commented Masashi standing over a collapsed Yukinari. Yukinari, drained of all energy, merely stared up and breathed slowly. "Too tired to even talk?" Masashi asked. He sat next to Yukinari watching his chest rising and falling slowly. "I remember the first time she had me do this. I also lasted twenty before she granted me a ten-minute rest and here you are lasting just as long." Yukinari was surprised but his face did not show it. Masashi was very strong with an athletic build worthy of a professional athlete's. He had broad square shoulders and a thick chest unlike Yukinari's narrow shoulders and flat body.

"Twenty minutes?" Yukinari wondered. "Might I be able to become like him if I continue here?" The thought filled Yukinari with an optimism he had rarely known. If he could find any more energy, Yukinari would have stood up then and continued Nina's training but his body felt too heavy now.

After the ten-minute break, Nina approached again. Standing over a seemingly unconscious Yukinari, she crosses her arms. "Okay Yukinari, that should do it for today" Nina said.

"What?" Yukinari asked ungluing himself painfully from the floor.

"What? Did you expect to finish today?" she asked noting Yukinari's disappointment. "This challenge is not for novices. This challenge is finished slowly over months. You have to take it slowly, every day extending the amount of time you endure, little by little. Increasing your strength and shortening your recovery time will take many weeks!" A quiet pause before she continued. "If you wish to continue this training, come back tomorrow and we'll continue. For a pipsqueak, you showed a lot of promise." Yukinari smiled internally as he heard this. "Come with me" she said beckoning him back to the front of the club. Yukinari, after pulling himself up with Masashi's help, pain stabbing his every joint, followed her. "Here, start drinking this" she said handing Yukinari a bottle over the front counter in the entrance room. Yukinari eyed the bottle with suspicion which was labeled 'Muscle-Gro' and was filled with powder. "Relax, it's a light protein mix. We need to make sure you're eating enough protein. When you get home, mix yourself up a serving."

"Oh... Thank you so much Miss Nina" Yukinari thanked and put the bottle away. "Miss Nina, I have a question."

"Shoot."

"What does it mean to do a week's-worth of training in one day?"

"Three and one third hours of training, 20 minutes for each day of the week. These sessions consist of 20-minute periods of non-stop exercise separated by 10-minute breaks so it all totals three hours and 20 minutes. Of course, these segments are peppered with one to two minute breaks so that you can catch your breath and brace yourself. During the sessions, we work on different muscle groups so as not to overwork any part of your body."

"Non-stop? Miss Nina, is that even possible?"

"I've had people in this club beat it. They were few but they were there" Nina says to Yukinari's astonishment. "Also, it sounds more intense than it actually is. The human body is an incredible thing Yukinari. Question is do you think you can do it?" Yukinari thinks for a second before answering.

"Yes Miss Nina, I believe I can" Yukinari said confidently.

"That's an excellent attitude to have Yukinari! Now get home and come back tomorrow if you're not feeling too sore that is."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you again!" Yukinari said and he made his way out the club.

"Are you sure it's okay to put him through this type of training?" Masashi asked Nina after Yukinari had left.

"Yes, I think he's fine. Did you not see him perform the way he did? For a novice like him to endure what he did is uncommon. Sure he's a boney kid but he had determination, heart, and mind! That's very important" Nina said, her arms on the front counter.

"Heart and mind? I'm not sure I understand what that means" Masashi admitted.

"Let's just call it a gut instinct and leave it at that" Nina settled.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari found walking home difficult. The pain in various parts of his body gnawed his muscles and bones though, in a way, it was a proud sort of pain. His shoulders, his arms and wrists, ankles and knees all felt sore. The sun was still up in the sky but Yukinari, upon letting himself into his house, immediately felt the urge to sleep the rest of the day away. Falling face down once again onto his floor much like last time, he closed his eyes and fell asleep from exhaustion. Some time later, a length of time Yukinari had no way of knowing, he felt a hand stroking his hair. It felt good and Yukinari tolerated it for an instant before getting up immediately to find out who was stroking his hair.

"L-Lisa!?"

"Well, good morning honey" Lisa in shorts and pink top said staring down at him. "Did you sleep well?"

"What are you doing here?" Yukinari asked getting on his hands and knees.

"I'm your soulmate, we're destined to be together so here I am" Lisa remarked gleefully. "The real question is what are YOU up to?" Lisa asked presenting Yukinari with the Muscle-Gro container he had put in his gym bag.

"When did you- I can explain Lisa. Please don't tell anyone."

"Okay, explain." Yukinari relayed the truth to Lisa telling her of his joining the UFC and the exercises he had participated in. "Wow, so that's where you got the uniform."

"That's right..." Yukinari said defeated. "Again, please promise me you won't tell anyone."

"I won't on one condition" Lisa said causing Yukinari to flinch. "I won't as long as you allow me to live here."

"...That, that's it?"

"Yes."

"F-fine, you can stay" Yukinari agreed after some hesitation. Lisa lunged at Yukinari wrapping her arms around him in delight.

"Oh! I'm so glad Yukinari! I swear you won't regret this!"

"Lisa, didn't your parents order you home?"

"Yes and they've taken my assistants away. Hayate and Kosame are a bunch of traitors!" Lisa exclaimed. "Doesn't matter, I'm my own woman!"

"So they're not around?" Yukinari asked looking around.

"Yes they are but they don't obey me anymore. Like I said, they've been taken away from me. You can thank Kirie and Fukuyama for that!"

"Kirie and Fukuyama? What do they have to do with-"

"Remember the last day I was at your house. Well Kirie tattled on me to Fukuyama who ratted me out to my parents. The one day my parents are home is the day they punish me! They take away my assistants because according to my dear older brother, I've been 'misusing' them" Lisa finished irritably.

"Well, you have used them to break into my house and abduct me in the past! You had them attack the school just to kidnap me even!" Yukinari thought quietly to himself.

"It's okay though, my former assistants have been ordered simply to keep an eye on me and my parents have traveled overseas once again on business so here I am! They never said anything about me not being able to go wherever I wish!"

"Well, that's good to hear" Yukinari said yawning. Yukinari, not wishing to speak anymore, accepted the story and proceeded up to his room. Despite his exhaustion, he pulled out Shinichi's and others' assignments and began to work. Looking up at the clock in his room, he read 4 pm.

"Yukinari, are you hungry?" Lisa called out from the kitchen. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Uh, yeah please! Thank you!" Yukinari answered back. He felt somewhat odd agreeing to Lisa's offer but part of him felt happy. It reminded him of the happier days with Miharu though he would not like admitting it. The exercise from earlier in the day and the extra schoolwork had made him extra hungry. Having a cute girl feed him could do nothing but make him feel even happier. 


	6. Chapter 6

Season 3 Episode 30: Training Partner is Bravo!

After a long evening filling out schoolwork, Shinichi's the hardest to work on because of who it was meant to benefit, Yukinari had finished. Once Yukinari had downed Lisa's surprisingly good cooking and the bland Muscle-Gro protein drink alongside it, he was ready to hit the bath and call it a day.

"I've prepared the bath for you Yukinari" announced Lisa knocking on his room door.

"Really? How did you know I was going to-" Yukinari asked halfway through undressing.

"Soulmates know these things honey" Lisa chanted through the door.

After scrubbing down, Yukinari entered his steam-filled bath, various corners of his body stinging as he submerged himself. Though still sore from Nina's training, the stinging sensation sent relaxing jolts throughout his body which filled him with a satisfaction much like before. Laying his head against the bath's edge and closing his eyes, Yukinari descended into a full relaxation on the verge of complete sleep. After several moments, he failed to notice someone else entering the bath with him, the still surface of the bath rippling from the person's entrance. Opening his eyes, Yukinari sees Lisa fully nude sitting next to him rinsing her hair.

"Lisa! What are you-" Yukinari panicked rising up and starting to climb out.

"Wait, don't go my love!" Lisa answered catching Yukinari's arm.

"Lisa, this is wrong! I can't-"

"Just this once! I cooked for you, just stay for one minute!" Lisa asked almost desperately. "Nothing will happen Yukinari, I promise!"

"Lisa, please!" Yukinari begged pulling at his arm in her grasp.

"Yukinari, please!" she repeated back not letting go. Yukinari did not know what it was that made him ultimately stay but something made him submerge himself again. This time, he knelt inside the bath facing away not daring to look in Lisa's direction.

"Oh... Mnm, a-alright, I'll stay but only for a minute or two" Yukinari agreed hesitantly. "I really shouldn't be surprised by this turn of events anymore" he thought to himself.

"Thank you Yukinari!" Lisa said releasing her grip. Lisa took a seat again and Yukinari remained still. "So, what did you do today at the UFC?" asked Lisa after pondering what to ask about.

"Many things: I was dragged around the training room by a collar wrapped around my neck. I was humiliated in front of everyone at the UFC and I was punched in the stomach by Miss Nina, the lady I told you about."

"Really? Why would you allow such things to be done to you?" Lisa asked concerned.

"No, it's all for my training Lisa. I've agreed to that treatment."

"Yukinari, what do you expect to get from all this?"

"I, I want to be stronger" Yukinari admitted awkwardly.

"You want to be stronger? Oh, you mean like get more muscular?"

"Something like that..." Yukinari said.

"I have to say, I'm starting to see results! Your shoulders look broader!" Yukinari didn't know if Lisa was being honest or just being nice but her compliment made him feel like his painful work was paying off.

"Thanks Lisa, that means a lot" Yukinari said gratefully but still did not look her way. He constantly reminded himself that Lisa was underage and even being naked together with her could get him in trouble.

"So" Yukinari began, "where did your parents go off to?"

"Europe. Important business as usual."

"You must miss them."

"Not really. They're generally very cold and emotionally detached" Lisa said approaching Yukinari silently. "They're in the business of business, not family. Anyways, they're overseas so who cares?" Lisa's hands without warning find Yukinari's shoulders from behind making Yukinari jump slightly. Going quickly to work, she began massaging his shoulders sensually.

"L-Lisa, w-what are you doing!?" Yukinari asked as her fingers squeezed, rubbed, and caressed his neck and shoulders.

"Such a strong man must be so tired from all his hard work" Lisa said attacking his shoulders. Yukinari liked the sensation which lifted any soreness but he was close to panicking. He felt Lisa's breasts starting to rub his back and her arms were becoming adventurous. "Such a big chest!" she said her hands probing his pectorals. His face became crimson and his heart started to race: Yukinari had never gotten quite used to being this close to naked girls, certainly not a willing one like Lisa, and his allergy was not reacting for whatever reason. He had to get out before he could lose control, give into his own natural, rising urges and land himself behind bars.

"O-okay Lisa, I-I think I-I'm done bathing! Gotta get ready for bed before I-I do something I will later r-regret!" Yukinari said climbing frantically out of the bath and immediately whipping a towel around himself.

"But it's only 6 pm! Yukinari, come back! Get back here and bathe with your soulmate!" Lisa shouted as Yukinari retreated. "...Hmph" she huffed. "Jeez, what's it gonna take to get him to consummate our relationship?.. You'd think it would be easy to seduce a pubescent boy like him... Perhaps I was too forceful?" she pondered disappointed with Yukinari now out of sight.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari finally got his well-deserved rest after an evening of trying to convince Lisa that she sleep in Miharu's old room. She insisted that as soulmates they should share a bed but she ultimately gave in after Yukinari promised he would take her to see the club. Regardless, Yukinari locked the door to his room.

The following morning was not very different from any others. After sleeping like a log, Yukinari awoke refreshed and energized and even stretched and flexed his body in getting ready for the day. After eating Lisa's breakfast, Yukinari and Lisa approached the front door only to hear a sudden knock ring out.

"Yukinari, hope you're up and ready" Kirie's voice rang through causing Yukinari to halt in place.

"What are you waiting for Yukinari? Open the door already, it's just Kirie" Lisa said opening the door herself.

"Good morning Kirie!" Lisa saluted innocently. Kirie's expression became blank and Yukinari's became fearful at what Kirie might do.

"G-good morning..." Kirie responded weakly. Turning in her place, Kirie began to walk without saying another word. Lisa followed as though nothing were wrong.

"Yukinari, what are you waiting for? Let's go" Lisa called back to a Yukinari standing still at the entrance. Kirie lead the way to school, Lisa followed humming obliviously to herself and Yukinari dragged his feet behind them both. After a short walk, Yukinari noted Kirie steadily slowing her pace, falling behind Lisa and approaching Yukinari's own pace.

"What was she doing at your house?" Kirie asked irked.

"K-Kirie, I can explain" Yukinari said nervously. "She-"

"I'm his soulmate and I'm living at his house" Lisa said still maintaining her stride. "Why do you care Kirie?"

"Be-because I want to make sure you-you're not taking advantage of him!"

"Wait a minute-" Yukinari said but was ignored.

"Rest assured, I'm not taking advantage of him! As a matter of fact, I cook for him and prepare his baths. I even give him massages during our baths together!"

"Du-during your what together!?"

"Kirie, Lisa, wait-" Yukinari squeaked fruitlessly.

"Our baths together! We bathe together and enjoy it thoroughly!" Kirie, her rage taking hold, turns to Yukinari and grasps him by the neck of his school uniform.

"So Yukinari, you're a dirty pervert after all!" Kirie exclaimed.

"We did all sorts of dirty things! The ways we ravaged each other!" Lisa said dreamily holding her blushing face.

"Ravaged each other huh!?" Kirie growled.

"That's not true!" Yukinari protested.

"Wait, Kirie, don't you dare-" Lisa protested. Her protest was too slow. Kirie punched Yukinari knocking him to the ground. Still enraged, Kirie stomped towards school alone. Lisa tended to Yukinari who was lying on the ground semi-conscious.

"I can't believe her!" Lisa said apprehensively walking along a recovered Yukinari moments later. "What's with her punching you?"

"Please forgive her. She's always had a temper ever since I've known her. She means well and her punches aren't that bad when you get used to them" Yukinari said. "She's done a lot for me before so I don't really mind."

"Well I do!" Lisa said.

"Lisa, let's keep our 'escapades' to ourselves from now on okay?" Yukinari asked politely.

"What? Are you ashamed of our love?" Lisa asked offended.

"No it's just..." Yukinari sighs. "N-never mind..." Yukinari said responding to Lisa's stubborn expression.

-TRANSITION-

Finally arriving at school, Yukinari and Lisa parted. No Lisa and Kirie in sight, Yukinari approached the same corner from before and like before a corpulent thick-nosed troll by the name of Shinichi sat there on a bench table awaiting Yukinari's hard work.

"Punynari, you're here finally! I assume you're here to pay up your dues" Shinichi asked expectantly.

"Yeah" Yukinari confirmed pulling out all the work from the previous evening.

"Very nice there Punynari! Good work as usual" he commented flipping through the work. "Alright, you know the drill" Shinichi said pulling out another bundle of schoolwork and handing it to Yukinari. Yukinari said nothing and accepted the papers passively. "You be a good little boy and get those done!" Shinichi said patting Yukinari demeaningly on the head and then snorting in triumphant laughter as he walked off. It started to eat at Yukinari again. The way Shinichi laughed, the way he bossed him around and even the way he looked was starting to bother him. The big greasy knuckles and ugly matted hair. An exploitative ogre who took advantage of whoever he could lure to do his bidding. He was stupid so he got through school largely through copying anyone who was easily intimidated and by cheating, something he was good at. He often disrespected his teachers and harassed cute innocent girls on the school campus. He acted big against people weaker than him but he himself was a major coward who never challenged people his size or larger. Worst of all, the people he was on friendly terms with were only so because Shinichi was getting their assignments done for them, fruits of Yukinari's labor. Yukinari was Shinichi's favorite victim however because Shinichi, as a senior, was looking forward to an undeserved graduation and Yukinari was essential for it.

Yukinari didn't know why but it was happening. Bullying once only struck fear into Yukinari but overtime the fear was slowly turning to anger and hate. "If someone's being an asshole, kick their ass. Simple, right?" Nina's voice echoed suddenly in Yukinari's head. Looking in the direction Shinichi headed in, he found just a mass of students entering school. Yukinari, putting away the work handed to him, proceeded to his classes.

It was just another school day: same classes as usual with Shinichi ditching math class, the class he shared with Yukinari. Shinichi had no reason to worry however: another student in the same class as puny as Yukinari was working frantically on shinichi's classwork as well as his own. Same chores pushed on him as usual but he was finding them more tolerable. Sweeping and cleaning blackboards was nothing compared to the things he had gone through at the UFC or Shinichi's tyranny. He saw these chores not as nuisances anymore but as light training. He even volunteered to help the janitor carry large heavy trash bags to the dumpsters by the school parking lots. Lunch time was work time when Yukinari worked quickly to finish his and others' homework which was not too difficult for him but in Shinichi's homework's case, irritating.

"You'll make a wonderful janitor one day Punynari" commented Kenichi again looking over a clean blackboard after school.

"Yeah, you've not only done a good job but you did it quickly" added Mikako running the same gloved finger from before over the blackboard.

"Thank you" Yukinari said firmly.

"Okay, enough, get out of here" Kenichi demanded shoving Yukinari out of the class and like before, tossing his school bag out the door only for Yukinari to catch it which took Kenichi by surprise.

"Thank you" Yukinari said patting his bag and proceeding out, his head held a little higher than before.

-TRANSITION-

Nina was surprised by Yukinari's repeat attedance at the UFC. "Oh! Hello there Yukinari" Nina greeted as she allowed Yukinari in through the front door.

"Hello Miss Nina" Yukinari greeted back.

"And who is this?" Nina asked indicating a blonde girl following behind Yukinari.

"She's-"

"His soulmate" Lisa declared boastfully wrapping her arms around one of Yukinari's arms. "My name's Lisa! Nice to meet you Miss Nina!"

"Wow, you've got a girlfriend!" Nina said impressed. "You're not a total pansy."

"Uh, thanks..?" Yukinari said not knowing whether to be insulted or feel complimented.

"Hmm, so this is the UFC?" Lisa asked as she began examining the entrance room.

"Not feeling too sore this morning Yukinari?" Nina asked. "It's common to feel pain a day after a hard workout. If you're feeling sore, I'd recommend you take it easy today. Otherwise, you increase the chances of injuring yourself" she warned.

"I was feeling sore yesterday but it was gone by this morning" Yukinari said stretching his arms. "I'm feeling well."

"Okay, if you're feeling alright then we'll proceed. Just let me know if you start feeling any painful discomfort" Nina instructed.

"Yes ma'am" Yukinari agreed flexing his legs.

"By the way, why's she here? She won't get in the way will she?" Nina asked Yukinari in a whisper as Lisa distracted herself with the weaponry mounted on the walls.

"No, she won't. I'll make sure of it" Yukinari assured. Yukinari and Nina introduced Lisa to the club much like Nina had done for Yukinari before and then training began.

"Run faster you gutless worm!" Nina yelled back at Yukinari completing a sixth lap, a collar tightly fastened around his neck. "Give me 45!" she demanded again holding Yukinari's legs to the floor as he curled his burning abs. "Those pectorals will be able to stop bullets when we're done!" she declared at Yukinari doing push-ups. "I can't believe I have to pick you up again!" Nina complained lifting Yukinari up and shoving him up to the horizontal bar.

"Wow, I had no idea you participated in these sorts of things" Lisa told Yukinari on the floor again after twenty minutes. Yukinari said nothing busying himself with catching his breath.

"Yukinari, since your friend decided to pay us a visit, I think I'll use her in the next set of exercises" she said handing Yukinari a bottle of water.

"H-how?" Yukinari asked before drinking.

"What?" Lisa asked also puzzled.

"Lisa, mount him" Nina commanded.

"M-mount him!?" Lisa exclaimed red-faced. "I-in front of all these people!? Here!?"

"What!?" Yukinari said in shock. "No! Never! No way!" Lisa, ignoring Yukinari's protests hops on Yukinari's lap and faces him.

"Well honey, you heard your trainer!" Lisa said amorously pulling at Yukinari's clothes and expelling steam from her nose. "We can start here with a little strenuous foreplay and then go home and finish right up!"

"Knock it off!" Nina shouted pulling Yukinari up and out from under Lisa. "Stop screwing around and get to your training!"

"What are you yelling at me for? You told her to do that!" Yukinari complained.

"What I wanted you to do was to carry her on your back!"

"Not exactly what I had in mind but I'll take it" commented Lisa being carried on Yukinari's back moments later.

"Do some laps Yukinari and don't you dare drop her!"

"Faster, go faster Yukinari!" Lisa said cheering Yukinari on. Yukinari charged with all his might holding Lisa's legs under his arms falling face-down after a 2nd lap.

"Jeez, that's all? That's no fun" Lisa said her arms folded in disappointment.

"Now do push-ups. Lisa, don't get off."

"A-are you kid-?" Yukinari began looking up at Nina.

"No! I'm not kidding!" Nina growled forcing Yukinari's head face-down with her foot. With an epic effort, Yukinari begins and finishes only completing four.

"Lisa, get off. Yukinari, face up" Nina instructed holding a bucket of water over Yukinari which she poured on him.

"Alright, get... What's wrong with your face?" Nina asked seeing Yukinari's allergy acting up.

"What?"

"Your face, it's got markings on it."

"Oh! My allergy's acting up" Yukinari said looking up at Nina standing over him.

"An allergy huh?" Nina acknowledged uninterested.

"You don't care do you?"

"No, don't care" Nina dismissed. "As long as it's not fatal or harmful, I don't care. Anyways, you've lasted fifty minutes. I'm ending the training here as of now."

"What? Why? I swear I can go on for 15 minutes more!" Yukinari protested.

"That's why your conditioning will continue beyond this club" Nina said. "I want you to carry Lisa wherever you go. On your way home, to school. Don't take the bus to school or any other vehicle anywhere. Even in your house, carry her on your back around the house." Lisa responded to Nina's training plan with glee, Yukinari with dread. She now had a reason to grab Yukinari, not that she needed one before.

"You can't be serious!" Yukinari again whined.

"I'm very serious!" Nina disciplined. "Think of her as a training partner!"

"That's right" added Lisa. "This is for your training Yukinari! Don't worry Miss Nina, I'll make sure he does as you instruct him!"

"That's why I chose to do this Lisa!" Nina said with a wide grin matching Lisa's own.

"They're ganging up on me..." Yukinari thought pitying himself.

"Now go home, no more complaints" Nina said dismissing Yukinari and walking off towards the club's entrance room.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari, after carrying Lisa all the way home from the UFC as Nina instructed, let Lisa down and threw himself on his couch. He rested his sore legs and sore arms. "I never thought I'd get home today" Yukinari said rubbing his shoulders.

"Yukinari, would you like something to eat? You need to eat when training" Lisa asked from the kitchen.

"Oh, yes... I would please... Thank you" Yukinari thanked. "Miss Nina, you're a clever one" Yukinari thought to himself. Moments later, at the house's doorstep, unknown to Lisa or Yukinari, stands Kirie. Her hand hovers over the house's doorbell, her other hand holding a rectangular box.

"You brought this on yourself! Your damn temper is always getting the better of you! It's happened twice recently!" she chastises herself. "Just take a deep breath when you feel anger... Okay, you can do this Kirie! Just go in there, apologize to Yukinari and then excuse yourself..." Kirie says psyching herself, her hand approaching the doorbell but then retreating again. "Come on, it's only Yukinari! He's so forgiving and sweet so... That and I have to know." She shifts in her spot nervously as she finally presses the doorbell.

"Yes?" Yukinari answers seconds later. "Kirie? Hello Kirie!" Yukinari said smiling a smile that let Kirie know he had long forgiven and forgotten Kirie's transgression earlier that day. It only made her feel much more guilty. "D-did you need something?"

"Yu-Yukinari, I-I just wanted to come over and eat s-something together with you" Kirie reasoned awkwardly, a slight blush on her cheeks. "I-I cooked us something!" she said showing him her bento box.

"Oh, that's awfully nice Kirie! Please, come in!" Yukinari beckoned her inside. Entering, Kirie follows Yukinari to the kitchen where she finds a full table, among the table items a strange drink, and Lisa seated.

"Well hello Kirie" Lisa saluted with a fake smile. "Nice of you to join us!" Kirie, without a word, sits opposite Lisa and Yukinari sits to their sides.

"So Lisa, I see you're back" Kirie began.

"Yes, no thanks to you" Lisa answered.

"Yukinari, I just came by because... I wanted to apologize for this morning" Kirie said swallowing her pride.

"Really? No need to apologize Kirie, it was no big deal" Yukinari said dismissively.

"Are you sure?" Kirie asked.

"Yes" Yukinari said simply. Though Yukinari's words were truthful, getting off so easy didn't help Kirie's feeling of guilt. The two were no strangers to the situation.

"You should learn to control your temper rather than just apologizing" Lisa cut across.

"Why's she here?" Kirie asked again suddenly, the question having been burning inside her since morning.

"She's helping me-"

"I'm his soulmate, this is where I belong!" Lisa interrupted Yukinari who was about to lie again.

"Oh, that again" Kirie said annoyed.

"Yes, that again and you're not interfering again" Lisa said. "Not you nor my brother are going to remove me and you can't appeal to my parents, they're off on one of their business trips" Lisa declared triumphantly.

"Anyways" Kirie went on, "since I see you've already been eating, I'll just leave your share in the fridge." Kirie makes her way to the front door after depositing her cooking in Yukinari's fridge.

"I'll be keeping watch Yukinari, okay? If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask" Kirie said on her way out. "See you later" she calls out as she closes the front door.

"Something tells me sooner than later" Lisa hisses at the table.

"What am I gonna do with the two of you?" Yukinari pondered exhaustively as dinner continued.

Yukinari finishes his meal and his protein drink which remains rather bland and difficult to drink. Still better than Shinichi's schoolwork which made the pain in his legs and arms feel less bothersome by comparison.


	7. Chapter 7

Season 3 Episode 31: Second Date is More Bravo!

The next morning was not unlike any other mornings. One exception was now Yukinari had to carry Lisa on his back wherever he went. Lisa was all too eager to implement this part of Nina's training, even waiting for Yukinari to wake up at his bedside. The only reason Yukinari agreed to it was to fulfill Nina's training instructions.

"W-wait, what do we do when we're out and about?" Yukinari suddenly asked as Lisa prepared breakfast anchored to Yukinari's back.

"Hm, that's a good question" Lisa said preparing scrambled eggs on a frying pan. "Why not just let people know that you're a UFC member?"

"Because..." Yukinari began slowly, "I don't want certain people to know. Actually, I want it to be a surprise to everyone and I'm not ready yet."

"You mean Kirie?" Lisa asked with eyes narrowed.

"Y-yes" Yukinari surrendered.

"Very well" Lisa said tightening her hold on Yukinari's shoulders, "but I am to understand that she shows up every schoolday morning to walk with you to school. She's going to knock on your door and expect to see you you know."

"So what should I do?"

"I have an idea!" Lisa said brightly. Moments later, a knock came at Yukinari's door and not surprisingly, Kirie stood at the opposite side of the entrance.

"Yukinari, hope you're awake!" Kirie called out as she rang the doorbell.

"You have knuckles and there's a doorbell. Decide on one" Lisa chastised as the door swung open.

"Morning" Kirie said irritably, "where's Yuki-" Kirie halted herself as she took in the person holding Lisa up from his back. "Who, who's he?" Kirie asks referring to the person straining to hold Lisa up. Said person was wearing a large black robe and a complete head covering with two eyeholes.

"He's my assistant. He assists me during my witchcraft sessions."

"Really now?" Kirie pondered unconvinced. "Why is he carrying you on his back?"

"He disobeyed me so I'm punishing him."

"Is that right?" Kirie continued holding her chin and circling around the robed figure, at one point looking into his eyes intensely. "He looks familiar."

"A lot of people say that" Lisa responds coldly.

"Whatever" Kirie quickly dismissed. "If Yukinari's not available then I'm fine walking with you Lisa. Let's go" Kirie said as she lead the way to school.

"I don't think she's convinced" Yukinari thought as he carried Lisa in Kirie's direction. After an awkward silent walk which consisted of Lisa and Yukinari staring at Kirie's back, Yukinari becomes tired and stops for a rest.

"Tired? Rest up and we'll continue afterward" Lisa instructed authoritavely as she climbed down.

"So tell me" Kirie said staring at the robed figure with great scrutiny, "what's your name?"

"His name is Bubbles!" Lisa interrupted defensively. "And he's not allowed to speak! It's part of his punishment."

"And where'd he come from?"

"The Netherworld" Lisa said smirking.

"Really now?" Kirie pondered sarcastically.

"Really" Lisa confirmed adamantly.

"Odd that Yukinari would not join us this morning, the same morning that Bubbles shows up."

"Yes, life is full of amazing coincidences" Lisa finished. "Are you ready?" she asked the robed figure. The robed Yukinari nods and Lisa climbs back up.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we must get to school" Lisa said as she was carried ahead of Kirie. Kirie followed without another word. It was her turn now to stare grudgingly at their backs.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari removed the disguise outside of school and out of view after having people staring at his robed figure across streets and out of the windows of buildings. He parted with Lisa and with Kirie shortly before disrobing and proceeded to classes like any other day. He handed his work to his teachers as usual and relinquished other people's work to Shinichi as usual. He went about school cleaning duties with little bother or protest now and soon school was done. More importantly, he wouldn't have to deal with Shinichi rearing his ugly trollish face at unexpected times doing his usual thing of disrespecting teachers, harassing girls and panhandling boys weaker than himself. He regrouped with Lisa outside of school grounds, got into his disguise and he walked off to the UFC, Lisa in tow. The walk was a test in endurance for him, a wonderful, romantic joyride for her.

"Ten more push-ups you worthless excuse of a man" growled Nina at Yukinari with Lisa seated on his back. As nice as it was to feel Lisa's buns on his back, his arms felt as though they would fall off with ever lift he did. "Speed it up" Nina commanded as Yukinari jogged with Lisa hanging off of his back. "This club has closing hours you know! Hurry it up!" Nina commanded as Yukinari was made to push a large and heavy wooden crate to a corner of the training room.

"I'm trying" Yukinari groaned pushing at the container, Lisa looking down seated atop it.

"You're doing great honey" she encouraged Yukinari whose teeth were clenched too tightly to be able to verbally thank her. As unconventional a workout the pushing was, Yukinari admitted he could feel a satisfying strain the activity was imposing on his arms, chest, and legs.

"I, I felt that Miss Nina" Yukinari says out of breath as he finally pushes the crate to the spot Miss Nina wanted it in.

"Felt what?" Nina asked as Lisa hopped off of the crate.

"That, that workout. This crate's really heavy but it worked my body well" Yukinari said. "What's in it anyways?" As Yukinari asked that question, Nina wrenched open the crate revealing an assortment of metallic objects.

"It's an order for a new gym machine. Thanks for getting it here" Nina thanked as she whipped open a large sheet from inside the crate. "What was that about a workout?" she then asked behind the large foldable with the assembly instructions on it. Yukinari could only sigh heavily at this. "I'm only joking Yukinari, relax" Nina said with a chuckle. "We killed two birds with one stone this way. Whatever the case, it's been 55 minutes. Very good Yukinari, you're doing well" Nina finally stated after handing Yukinari a water bottle wrapped a towel. "That's five minutes more than yesterday! Feels good doesn't it?" Nina asked as Yukinari, feeling sore all over, smiled and nodded. "You're done for the day Yukinari. Now go off with your wife or whatever she is and beat it!" Nina said dismissing Yukinari as she called a few club members over to begin assembly.

"Congratulations Yukinari! You're doing so well!" Lisa congratulated as she pulled Yukinari into a sore embrace.

"Owowow!" Yukinari yelped as Lisa squeezed him tightly.

-TRANSITION-

After a visit to the locker room, Yukinari and Lisa walk out, Lisa in tow. "What the hell are you wearing?" Nina asks over a magazine as she catches sight of Yukinari in disguise.

"It's for training" Lisa answers though Nina is not convinced.

"It looks a bit hot don't you think?"

"It's not hot at all. I feel perfectly fine!" Lisa answers.

"I meant for him" Nina clarified.

"Oh! Of course! No worries! It's thin breathable material" Lisa again answers as she is carried out the club entrance though Nina still felt mystified by the sight.

"...What kind of fetishes are kids into these days?" Nina ponders to herself as she goes back to her magazine. Yukinari carries Lisa for a moderate time around the shopping center attracting fleeting looks wherever they went. Yukinari couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the whole thing.

"Bubbles, we're being followed" Lisa says suddenly, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "We'll lose them in the crowd. Just head in the direction I tell you, got it?" Yukinari nods his head and obeys. "Make a left here" Lisa instructs at an intersection. "Straight" she instructs as crowds of people flood around them. "Another right. A left, go through this alley and then a right." Yukinari follows her instructions to the letter as Lisa peeks behind her through a hand mirror. "Okay, we've lost them" she finally says at another busy intersection. "That, and we're here" she says as she indicates the building to their side.

"Lisa, who was-"

"Ah-ah-ah" Lisa interrupted. "I have to give you permission!" Yukinari sighs. "Okay, you may speak" she says grinning.

"Who was following us?"

"Doesn't matter! What does matter is that we're here!" Lisa said.

"We're where?"

"My favorite hobby shop in all this town!" Lisa declared with splendor as she pointed at a tall black building standing in between brightly painted buildings which contrasted sharply. "The Darker Corner!" Lisa read the sign above the front entrance. Pentagrams decorated the windows, ogre and demon models stood on display behind the windows, bats hung upside down and crows crowed and flapped their wings inside large cages just behind the same models. The inside was dark except for large gothic torches which illuminated the inside. "Take a break Yukinari as we go inside" Lisa said as she dismounted him. "Remove your disguise first!"

Lisa entered and an undisguised Yukinari followed into a large spacious room. Immediately, a smell seemingly of candle wax and dust reached Yukinari's nose. Looking around, he found shelves upon shelves populated by jars which contained alien-looking lizards, spiders, and thick beetles all submerged in an unknown liquid. Along with the jars were crystal balls, tarot card sets, dolls with needles sticking out of them and many other things Yukinari had no way of identifying. In the middle of the spacious room stood book shelfs carrying books upon books with titles such as: "The Forbidden Arts", "Forever Lost Secrets", and "Mastering Spells and Incantations".

"Well hello there Lisa! Have the good spirits granted you their presence?" said a tall man with a large pepper beard and mustache and wearing a large black robe and pointed hat.

"Yes Sir Dulhoff! I see they have paid you good presence as well!" Lisa responded brightly.

"And who is the dashing young man accompanying you?" Sir Dulhoff asked standing behind the store counter.

"He is my soulmate!" Lisa announced grasping Yukinari's arm. "Introduce yourself honey!"

"My name is Yukinari! Nice to meet you sir!"

"Very nice to meet you too Yukinari!" Dulhoff returned politely. "So the usual Lisa?"

"Yes but I'd also like a special order fulfilled" Lisa said flipping through the shop catalogue. "Item number 62870914. I'd like two."

"Item 62870914 huh?" Dulhoff said lifting an eyebrow and stroking his beard intrigued. "Very well but it's not cheap as I'm sure you know!"

"Of course! Put it on my tab as always!" Lisa finished.

"Excuse me for a moment" Dulhoff said as he entered a room behind the counter.

"What is this place Lisa?" Yukinari asked looking around.

"Heaven Yukinari" Lisa answered resting her head on his shoulder.

Moments later Dulhoff came back out with a large brown paper bag in hand. "Here you are Lisa, the usual and your special order!"

"Thank you so very much Sir Dulhoff!" Lisa thanked as she accepted the bag.

"May the good spirits accompany you today!" Dulhoff waved goodbye. Both Yukinari and Lisa exit and she climbs back up on a disguised Yukinari. Immediately, Lisa looks right, left and all around her suspiciously finding only a busy sidewalk.

"Let's go Bubbles" she commands and they both dissolve into the pedestrian crowds around them.

-TRANSITION-

Kirie and Fukuyama were standing behind a building several buildings away and across the street from "The Darker Corner" searching the busy streets and sidewalks around them.

"There she is Fukuyama!" the brunette said pointing in the direction of a large crowd. "Fukuyama!"

"What? What is it?" Fukuyama answers turning away from a gaggle of girls in the distance.

"Pay attention!" Kirie admonished.

"What? What do you want?" Fukuyama grumbled.

"Look! I spotted them there" Kirie said pointing.

"Where?" Fukuyama asked examining the crowd.

"There... They were there a second ago.." Kirie said her eyes scanning the crowds. "Damn, we lost them again! I think they came out of that building" she said pointing. "The Darker Corner" she read the sign.

"We'll go in and ask some questions then" Fukuyama said leading the way into the shop. Fukuyama and Kirie entered the shop and saw much of the same Yukinari and Lisa did moments ago.

"Welcome" Dulhoff greeted them. "Oh! New faces in my shop I see! Splendid!" the man cheered. "It's good to see magic catching on with our youth!"

"Old man, we have some questions" Fukuyama started. "Did a young girl with blonde hair recently visit your shop?"

"Why yes, you must mean Lisa."

"That's right!" Fukuyama exclaimed. "Where did she go? What was she up to? Who was she with?" Fukuyama demanded.

"You must be her brother. She's told me about you."

"Yes, I am! Now answer my questions!" Fukuyama demanded.

"No, sorry, I cannot now that I know who you are. Lisa has warned me of you and I cannot dispel such information to someone like you."

"What!?" Fukuyama protested. "What has she told you about me?"

"I'm sorry but that I will not say!" Dulhoff said standing his ground. "Now buy something or please leave."

"How much?"

"How much wha- No, I will not sell out my customers! Now get out, you are starting to irritate me!" A nudge comes to Fukuyama's side as Kirie grabs hold of Fukuyama's arm.

"Fukuyama, let's get out of here! This place is creepy!"

"You've heard the young lady. Go!" Dulhoff growled.

"No!" Fukuyama countered. "Not until you answer my questions old man!"

"Enough!" Dulhoff shouted pointing a staff at Fukuyama. "Leave now and you will not be hurt!" Ghosts from the shop floors suddenly ascended and the demonic models at the windows began to move.

"AAaaaahhhhh!" Kirie screamed in fear. "Fukuyama, let's go!" she shouted pulling him out of the shop.

"Heed her word young man!" Dulhoff's voice boomed as Fukuyama finally surrendered to Kirie's whim. Pure terror flooded Kirie as she and Fukuyama ran away from the building finally stopping some blocks away. Looking back fearfully, Kirie wrapped herself around Fukuyama's arm.

"A-are they g-gone? The-they're not chasing us are they?" Kirie asked trembling.

"No, they're not following..." Fukuyama confirmed. "Let's keep looking" he suggested.

"S-sure.." Kirie agreed still holding onto Fukuyama's arm. They both descend into the town crowds and continue looking around wherever they went.

"Hey, this is something new. This is the closest you've ever willingly been with me even as we've been dating" Fukuyama noticed as Kirie still maintained her grip.

"W-well it's not everyday we get chased by ghosts" Kirie responded as she looked around in fright.

"Oh, so I need ghosts to get you to warm up to me?"

"Sh-shut up! Now's not the time. Just keep looking" Kirie snapped annoyed.

-TRANSITION-

Elsewhere at the town park far away from Kirie and Fukuyama, a Yukinari with the head covering of his disguise removed is sitting on a park bench and watching Lisa intently. "Tha-that's incredible Lisa!" Yukinari exclaimed as he watched closely.

"This is nothing. Basic beginner stuff" Lisa said humbly.

"So what are they called?" Yukinari asked, his eyes glued.

"They're called navis!" Lisa explained as an elongated light-blue flame swam in the air above her. "As you can see, they're made of fire and can change color."

"Change color? Really?"

"That's right. They respond to the mood of the people closest to them. It's light-blue because of my mood. I'm feeling relaxed right now hence its color. How are you feeling Yukinari?"

"Uh, amazed I guess. I mean I've never seen anything like it!"

"Amazed huh?" Lisa said as the navi approached Yukinari and turned white. "Moods like amazement and astonishment are a white color. See? It's white when it's near you!" Lisa continued to dig around in the brown bag as the navi swam around them both and pulled out a spherical object that seemed to look like two bowl-like seashells put together. "This here is a portal-peerer. Much like a regular seashell allows you to hear the ocean when you put it up to your ear, this one allows you to look into other dimensions if you put your eye up to this hole here!" she explained pointing to a hole on the portal-peerer. "Wanna look?"

"Uh, no thanks Lisa" Yukinari declined politely.

"These here are tracker candy" Lisa explained pulling out two glowing spheres that looked like marbles. "They glow brighter the closer they get" Lisa elaborated further holding both spheres in both hands and pulling them apart. As she did, their luminosity dimmed slightly. "You can use them to stalk-I mean feed children and keep track of their whereabouts! You want one?" Lisa offered holding the candy up to Yukinari's mouth.

"Maybe later" Yukinari said preferring that Lisa not know where he was at all times. Lisa went on pulling out more things from the bag and explaining them, most consisting of exotic powders and figures she used in her black magic sessions. For some reason, Yukinari found himself wanting to learn more about Lisa and the things that seemed to bring her happiness. "You really love this stuff huh?" Yukinari asked curiously.

"Absolutely! Ever since I was a little girl!" Lisa began as she sat next to Yukinari. "As a little girl, magic tricks and other such things always fascinated me. It all started with a magic show at one of my birthday parties. A magician showed up and started doing card tricks and lighting things on fire" Lisa elaborated wearing a nostalgic smile. "He pulled a rabbit out of a hat and made things vanish right before my eyes! It was incredible!"

"And that's why you love it all" Yukinari said as an admiration for the passion she had began swelling up somewhere in his gut.

"Yes... but" Lisa restarted with a disappointed look, "he then began showing us how he did them. I learned it wasn't magic: it was deception and for some reason... it depressed me. The card tricks and vanishings now meant nothing. Magic wasn't magic after that."

"And then you decided to practice it yourself" Yukinari revealed, his eyes fixed on her.

"Th-that's right" Lisa whispered staring back at Yukinari. "I wanted magic... to be magic again."

The navi swimming above them turned a pink color and burned slightly more intensely. As it swam, Yukinari and Lisa faced each other in their seats as though under a spell, his hand finding hers on the bench table and their faces approaching. With eyes closed, they tap their lips together for what felt like an eternity and broke off. They looked at each other and then locked lips briefly a second time.

"Yu-Yukinari" Lisa said simply, her eyes opening wide, her face pink and heart racing. Yukinari says nothing and remains seated.

"Aaah, this is so embarrassing! My first kiss!" Lisa squealed turning away, burying her red face in her hands and wiggling in her seat.

"Hehe, it is for me too" Yukinari said awkwardly turning away and scratching his cheek. He wasn't able to bring himself to kiss Miharu on his first date out of fear and nervousness so he wondered what it was that enabled him to do it this time. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't even a date! Perhaps it was the increasing confidence he was developing as a result of his joining the UFC? Or perhaps Lisa was just looking cuter than usual at that particular moment.

Unbeknownst to them both, behind a tree a distance away stood Kirie staring with a weak smile on her face. "Good for you Yukinari" she thought as she leaned against the tree, her hands tucked in her chest where a weak, sinking feeling had arisen, a feeling she immediately suppressed. "Why am I watching this?..." she asks herself in a deep sadness. At that moment, she couldn't help but recall doing something similar when Yukinari and Miharu had gone out on their first date. "Why do I do this to myself? I, I'm an idiot! I need to get out of here!" she urges herself turning away ready to scurry off.

"Hmm, so that Punynari's manning up finally?" said Fukuyama standing behind Kirie. "I can't help but feel proud..." he said with pride. "Kissing such a cute gir-...Wait a minute, that's Lisa! LLiiisssaaaa!" Fukuyama shouted breaking the silence in the park. "Punynari! How dare you!?" he snarled as he ran toward Yukinari and Lisa.

Kirie immediately gave chase. "Fukuyama, stop!" she demanded almost catching Fukuyama by the collar of his shirt. Lisa reacted immediately: she pulled out two small sphere-shaped candy and popped one into her mouth and another into Yukinari's. Suddenly, they both vanished in their seats and only an empty bench remained.

For Yukinari, everything went pitch black around him. He blinked and instantaneously found himself in his house lying on his floor, Lisa next to him. "Wha-what just happened?" he asked sitting up puzzled. "We were just-"

"Teleportation candy! Item number 62870914" Lisa said sitting up. "Awesome isn't it?"

"..W-wow, teleportation!.. So that's what that's like? What were Fukuyama and Kirie doing there all of a sudden though?"

"They were following us, the nerve of them. Can't they mind their own business?" Yukinari, after thinking for a flash, collapses back down on his floor exhausted.

"Ugh, what a tiring day..."

"Shall I prepare the bath for you?" Lisa offered.

"Th-that would be nice.. Thanks!" Lisa proceeded to the bath room whilst a sudden hunger forced Yukinari on his feet and to the kitchen fridge. Inside, he finds milk and orange juice, some fruits and a box of some sort. "What's this?" he wondered to himself examining it. "This is Kirie's" he realized. Yukinari hesitated at first but finally opened up the bento box to find a beautifully prepared meal much to his surprise. He heated it up and began to eat finding it surprisingly delicious. "Wow Kirie, you've done well! Cooking channel?.. Thank you Kirie" he thought with a grateful smile. Halfway through however, he stopped eating and looked over the cooking sadly. "Did Kirie see me kissing Lisa?" he wondered with a heavy guilt. "..She did... Wish she hadn't." He restarts eating at a slower pace this time as he harbored suspicions that Kirie might have feelings for him. He condemned these suspicions to the back of his mind once he was done eating and he prepared to enter his bath.

-TRANSITION-

"How could you side with them Kirie!?" Fukuyama demanded next to the empty bench.

"Stay out of Yukinari's way. Lisa's too" Kirie commands.

"She's my sister and it's my job to worry! And why do you care so much Kirie!?" Fukuyama demanded.

"Because..." Kirie pauses, "...I thought Lisa might have been taking advantage of Yukinari" she answered. "...That's all."

"Now wait just a second" Fukuyama protested, "Lisa's a good girl! She would never abuse of puny-"

"She's done it before!" Kirie interrupted. "She's had Yukinari kidnapped in the past! She's also tried to force him into marriage and into drinking weird liquids even! Remember!?"

"Er, well, th-that only proves my point!" Fukuyama argued. "You worry about Punynari like I worry about Lisa! Lisa's too good for Punynari don't you get it!? We need to hurry back and break the two u-urgh!" Fukuyama suddenly collapses from a punch delivered by Kosame, appearing right then and there alongside Hayate, to his gut.

"Kosame?" Kirie voiced taken by surprise by Kosame's appearance.

"Kosame.. Why?" Fukuyama struggled from the ground.

"Thank you Kosame, Hayate" Kirie said, "for showing up but it seems Lisa was capable of taking care of herself rather well."

"It was for Lisa's happiness" Hayate said. "We may no longer take orders from her but we are still responsible for her safety and emotional well-being. Good to see she can take care of herself."

"You're very welcome Miss Kirie" Kosame suddenly said creeping up on Kirie from behind only to be yanked by the leash around her neck.

"Down girl" Hayate demanded as he shot a tranquilizer dart into Fukuyama's rear.

"Aaah!" Fukuyama groaned from the shot and quickly lost consciousness.

"I'll take Fukuyama home. Kosame, escort Kirie home" Hayate instructed noting the dark sky.

"Really!?" Kosame said cheerfully to Kirie's dread.

"Kirie, take this" he said as he tossed a tiny remote Kirie's way. "Press the button on it if Kosame tries anything and the collar will shock her."

"Thank you" Kirie said as she began a long, scary walk home, Kosame walking close behind her. Kirie walked briskly, feeling Kosame's eyes devouring her from behind as Kirie grasped the remote desperately close to her person.


	8. Chapter 8

Season 3 Episode 32: Bravo Fighting!

The next morning, Yukinari stared down at his breakfast afraid to eat, the cup of Muscle-Gro nearly empty next to his bowl of steamed rice and grilled fish, miso soup on the side. Seated next to him was Lisa humming cheerfully, a smile as bright as the morning sun on her face.

"I can't believe it. I, I kissed Lisa! I didn't even do that with Miharu!" Yukinari exclaimed in his mind. "What the hell got into me? D-does this mean we're a c-couple now!? Is that what she expects out of me!? I'm not ready for another relationship!" he thought as he tried to mask his panic. "She's underage too! I mean, sh-she's only a year younger but will the law care? Will I go to prison if I kissed her!? Crap!" Questions swirled around Yukinari's head for he feared Lisa's powerful and obscenely wealthy parents. If they found out their lovely, underage daughter had been kissed, he feared what they might do.

"Is something wrong dear?" Lisa asked, a delight in her voice.

"N-no, everything's fine" Yukinari, a regular worrywart, said with difficulty.

"But you haven't touched your breakfast" Lisa voiced with concern.

"Yes I have" Yukinari said immediately forcing rice and fish into his mouth. "Sheee?"

"Dear, please don't speak with your mouth full" Lisa disciplined. A sudden knock at the door rings out, 20-30 minutes before they expected Kirie's knock to show up.

"I'll get it. I wonder who it could be?" Lisa said standing up from her seat to answer the door.

"G-good morning Lisa" Kirie's voice greets.

"Oh, good morning" Lisa responds as she returns from the front door and sits back down with an indifferent look on her face. Kirie following behind Lisa enters the kitchen also and sits on Yukinari's other side.

"Good morning Yukinari" Kirie's voice rings out as Yukinari looks up from his breakfast.

"Kirie? What are you doing here so early?" Yukinari asked.

"I wanted to eat breakfast with you two, that's all" Kirie answered pulling out her own breakfast.

"Really?" Yukinari said knowing full well that Kirie had seen Lisa and himself the night before.

"Really Yukinari. It's not like this is the first time I've come over to eat with you" Kirie recalled as she sat at the table.

"Y-yeah, you're right." The breakfast had now doubled in awkwardness as the table became dead silent. Knowing not what to do, Yukinari with a sudden burst of energy finished his rice and fish and emptied his soup bowl. "All done!" Yukinari declared with an uneasy laughter putting away his dishes. "Well, that was delicious! Thank you so much Lisa!" Silence... The only sound was that of chewing, drinking, and chop sticks dipping into dishware. Yukinari sighs and sits back down between Kirie and Lisa.

"So" Kirie began making Yukinari flinch, "how was your guys' morning?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Yukinari and I woke up, got dressed and got to breakfast" Lisa explained.

"H-how about you Kirie?" Yukinari asked glad that the awkward silence was broken.

"No different: I woke up, got dressed and made breakfast. You know, like any other day."

"O-oh, I see" Yukinari said not knowing what to say next. Thinking quickly, Yukinari flicks on the television to add some atmosphere to the encroaching silence. Instantly, a commercial on wedding rings comes up.

"The perfect wedding ring for the perfect kiss!" Yukinari reacts quickly and changes the channel at the uttering of those words.

The image of a woman slapping a man across the face appears on the television. "How dare you kiss her!?" the woman demanded and Yukinari changes the channel again.

"Mwwaaaa" a woman wearing lipstick puckers at the screen. "Leave that perfect kiss on your significant other with-!" Again, Yukinari changes the channel this time to the morning news hoping desperately that there was a crime being reported on.

"A grizzly murder shook the little town of Yamano" a news reporter said standing in the middle of a neighborhood. Yukinari sighs with relief hoping to change the subject to the news story. "A resident of Yamano murdered her husband after merely suspecting he might have kissed-" Yukinari shuts the television off immediately and returns the room to the silence from before.

"W-well, nothing's on! Hehehe" Yukinari chuckles uneasily. Lisa and Kirie looked as though neither had paid any attention to the television, the tension thick between the two. At this, Yukinari sighs nervously. The silence went on as both girls resumed eating until the clock finally displayed that it was time to set off to school. Kirie and Lisa lead the way as Yukinari followed staring at both their backs, wondering what was going on in either of their minds.

"So, I see you're not making him wear that odd outfit from yesterday" began Kirie.

"I grant him breaks sometimes. Yukinari dear, what are you doing falling behind? Walk next to me!" Lisa said behind her. Yukinari hesitantly walked up next to Lisa and she immediately wrapped both arms around his right one. "Beautiful day isn't it love?" Lisa asked.

"Uh, yeah" Yukinari said anguished, careful not to look at Lisa or Kirie's faces.

"Yukinari, were you okay with wearing that weird thing?" Kirie asked.

"Of course he was!" Lisa was quick to claim.

"I asked Yukinari" Kirie clarified.

"Yes, I thought it was neat" Yukinari answered hoping not to stir any conflict between the blonde and brunette.

"You thought it was neat huh?" Kirie asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah" Yukinari again confirmed but it seemed as though Kirie was not convinced.

"Well, as long as you thought it was neat" Kirie finally agreed. After that, the three remained silent throughout. It felt like a torturous eternity getting to school but they eventually made it to the front of the school and parted.

"See you both later" Kirie said waving at the other two, seemingly unconcerned.

"Bye Kirie" Lisa waved back as did Yukinari. "What's wrong?" Lisa asked Yukinari as Kirie disappeared. "You were so quiet during our walk."

"Nothing's wrong Lisa" Yukinari said parting Lisa's presence.

"Meet me here after school" the blonde calls out as Yukinari walks off. With Kirie and Lisa now out of his way, Yukinari approaches the same secluded bench with the same thick-nosed ogre waiting patiently by it, his scummy-looking friends seated.

"Morning" he initiated standing arrogantly tall. Shinichi didn't say much anymore. He expected to get his homework turned in to him in the morning: Yukinari was good for it and Yukinari understood there'd be hell to pay if he didn't comply. Yukinari stopped speaking to him at length also and simply handed the work to him on mornings. "Hmm" Shinichi grunted flipping through the work. "You know the drill" Shinichi breathed obnoxiously pulling out more papers as his fat ugly friends smiled and gestured at each other. Yukinari took the papers and walked off without another word only to have Shinichi's foot sweep under him causing him to trip and scatter all the papers all over the ground. At this, Shinichi and his hoodlum friends break out in trollish laughter.

"Hey Punynari, can you be careful with my work!? Pick it up!" Shinichi growled smiling. Yukinari did so as quickly as he could as the laughter nearby gnawed at him, a terrible humiliation driving his arms left and right about the ground.

"Damn, you've got it made!" Yukinari heard a voice say behind him within the symphony of snortled laughing as he quickly marched away leaving them to harass other unfortunate students on campus.

"Don't forget extra credit Punynari! Hahahaha!" Shinichi shouted in laughter from a distance, people's curious gazes shifting back and forth between Shinichi laughing and Yukinari retreating. Yukinari naturally detested Shinichi and his friends and they only helped to make him look forward to getting through his brutal training at the UFC by the end of the day and one day ridding himself of the lot of them. He puts his burdens away in his bag, proceeds with his school day and is later rejoined by Kirie.

"Yukinari!" Kirie's voice sings out from behind Yukinari during lunch time. Yukinari, seated on one of the school roof benches turns to see Kirie with a bento box in her hands, a smile on her face.

"Kirie? What are you-"

"I wanted to eat lunch with you, what do you mean what am I doing here? I mean, that's what friends do."

"Y-yes, of course" Yukinari confirmed as Kirie sat next to him.

"So, how's your day been?" Kirie asked as she opened her box.

"Oh, you know. The usual" Yukinari said as an alluring smell wafted to his nose from Kirie's box.

"The usual?" Kirie began. "That's not always a good thing in your case Yukinari."

"No I swear, today's been very good!" Kirie smiles not certain if Yukinari was being sincere.

"Well, if you're ever in need then please don't hesitate to ask for help" Kirie offered.

"Yeah" Yukinari falsely agreed. "By the way Kirie" Yukinari, influenced by Kirie's bento box's smell, began saying "I've been wanting to thank you for the food you made me some time ago. I ate it last night and it was really good!"

"Really Yukinari? I tried real hard."

"And it paid off!" Yukinari praised with a grateful smile.

"Yukinari, that means a lot to me" Kirie said returning an even brighter smile, her cheeks a slight pink color. "Thank you and you're welcome!" They both continued eating and began to chat like always but Yukinari, for some reason, was feeling a weight pressing down on his chest. He hesitated for a time but finally decided to get it off and out of the way.

"Kirie, about last night..." Yukinari said troubled. "H-how should I put this?"

"What? You mean Lisa and you kissing?" Kirie stated bluntly. "Why? Do you think I was bothered by it?" Kirie said expressionless slipping her lunch into her mouth with her chopsticks. Yukinari fell silent again. "On the contrary, congratulations Yukinari! Your first kiss I assume?"

"Hehehehe" Yukinari let out a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, it was" he said embarrassed.

"Bet you liked it!" Kirie said with a mischievous grin.

"J-just a little! I-it was a spur of the moment thing, I swear" Yukinari insisted.

"Really? Don't you feel anything for Lisa? I thought you two looked cute together" Kirie teased elbowing Yukinari in the rib playfully.

"Hahaha, Kirie, knock it off" Yukinari said chuckling though deep inside, he wondered if it could have meant something. Yukinari was finding Lisa cuter and despite her forcing herself on him, he couldn't help but appreciate Lisa's dedication to him and his training, the way she cooked and looked after him. Regardless, he was still unsure.

"So wait: you didn't kiss Miharu when you went out with her!?" Kirie almost gasped.

"N-no" Yukinari admitted ashamed. "I don't think I had the guts that time! I was thinking about it but I.. I chickened out back then..."

"So what are you saying? You were feeling a little more confident when you kissed Lisa?" Kirie asked. Yukinari thought the question over for a bit.

"I guess. That might have been it" Yukinari said.

"So any idea where you might have gotten that confidence?" Kirie asked. "I have to say, it makes you look quite handsome!" she complimented with a playful grin. At that moment, Yukinari wanted to tell her about the club and the things he was doing there. But he didn't tell her. He wanted to surprise her somehow at a later time.

"I guess Lisa looked that cute" he answers. "That had to be it."

"Well I'm happy for you" Kirie said.

"Thanks Kirie" Yukinari said gratefully. "That means alot."

"Sure" Kirie said. "...Enjoy them Yukinari, your firsts: they only come once in a lifetime" Kirie whispered as she finished her lunch.

"No duh" Yukinari said as he and Kirie laughed in unison.

"Where is she by the way?" Kirie asked looking around.

"She's probably in chemistry class working on something" Yukinari guessed.

"Oh, that makes sense. That sounds like her.." Kirie said.

"Punynari!" a loud growl came suddenly from behind the two. Turning their heads, Yukinari and Kirie spot Fukuyama, his arms bound with rope, charging as fast as he could across the school roof and towards Yukinari in a fit of rage. "Punynari! How dare you!?" The angry blonde, with surprising speed, tackles Yukinari to the ground. "What have you done to my little sister!? Answer me!? ANSWER ME!?" he demanded.

"Get off!" Yukinari demanded back.

"She's underage you monster! If I find out you've defiled her, I swear I will have you arrested and tried! I will hire the world's top lawyers and sue you for every penny! Do you understand me YOU FIEND!?" Fukuyama, through clenched teeth, threatened.

"How did 'you' get here!?" Kirie asked out loud. "And how'd you get out of your bindings!?" she demanded as she tore Fukuyama off of Yukinari and dragged him away.

"Release me!" Fukuyama then commanded failing to break away from Kirie's grasp.

"Sorry Yukinari, I was hoping he wouldn't bother you" Kirie apologized. "Anyways, I'll see you later. Gotta lock him away again" she waved as she dragged an angry Fukuyama away.

"Yeah, see ya" Yukinari answered back mystified by the sight of Kirie dragging the enraged rich boy away.

"I said unhand me!" Fukuyama went on.

"Shut up and mind your own damn business!" Kirie ordered as she disappeared from view.

After school and the obligatory school chores which he was now breezing through, he met up with Lisa and they both set off for the UFC, Lisa carried on Yukinari's back.

"Give me ten more you bag of manure!" Nina yelled as Yukinari pushed himself up against the club floor. "Embrace the pain Yukinari! Embrace it!" she yelled overlooking Yukinari on the barbell bench. "You're moving too slowly damn it!" she shouted once more as Yukinari ran through rows of weighted hula hoops with Lisa's weight bearing down on him, his legs burning. "Take more than ten seconds and I'll light this rope up!" Nina yelled again, a lighter in her hand as Yukinari climbed a vertical rope. "Miss Nina, you're insane!" Yukinari responds speeding up his ascent.

Hours turned to days as Yukinari's training progressed. "Very good Yukinari, you lasted one hour and 30 minutes" Nina congratulated an exhausted Yukinari. The days dragged onward and turned to weeks as things at school remained unchanged. In that time, Lisa had learned about Yukinari's break up with Miharu which she cheered and applauded in secret. Oddly enough however, after kissing her, Yukinari had noticed a toning down on Lisa's lecherous behavior and, ironically, Kirie seemed to be giving the two a little more space. This was to his benefit since he was having a hard time focusing on little more besides training, anything else would have been a distraction. Yukinari strived on in secret from classmates, particularly Shinichi and Kirie. He eventually explained to Kirie that he carried Lisa on his back because it was part of a summoning ritual Lisa was conducting and Kirie accepted the story preferring to avoid topics having to do with summonings.

"Yukinari, two hours and 30 minutes" Nina said looking at a pocket watch. "Congratulations. You're less worthless" Nina complimented.

"Thanks" Yukinari said half-heartedly knowing somehow that Nina was complimenting him in her own way.

"It's incredible what your body looks like after a long workout" Lisa commented one day as Yukinari examined himself on a large mirror. He was fit, there was no denying it now. His arms were moderately defined, his pectorals were noticeable, his shoulders less round and more square. Even his voice had deepened ever so slightly. These bodily changes were not unexpected for a 16 year-old and he hid them from everyone by wearing heavier clothing to school and outdoors. He had not bested Nina's challenge yet but the long journey, already past the halfway point, had paid off so far...

In between these arduous training sessions, Kirie couldn't help but wonder what might've been going on with Yukinari in the afternoons.

"Yukinari, you wanna go to the theater later today? There's a good action flick I've been wanting to see" she directed at Yukinari one day after school. "The director's got a knack for suspense."

"Sorry Kirie, I'm really busy today" Yukinari answers.

"Again?"

"Yeah. Maybe next time" he adds as he was joined by Lisa.

"Yeah Kirie! Next time!" Lisa repeats, a grin on her face as she savored a feeling of triumph and both she and Yukinari hurried off somewhere unknown to Kirie.

"Oh... Okay" Kirie answered in disappointment, Yukinari and Lisa running off in the distance. "Where the heck could they be going?" She'd often ask herself as she went out on her dates with Fukuyama. For one particular date, it was inside a blimp high above the city of Mizuno.

"...And that, Kirie, was the day Kazuharu Fukuyama discovered his allergy to men" Fukuyama finished.

"Sounds terrible" Kirie deadpanned.

"It isn't so bad. In fact, it isn't bad at all! Hmhmhmhmhm! I can still touch women" Fukuyama said with a grin as Kirie gazed down at the city. "...So Kirie, what do you think of the view?" Fukuyama asked as he directed his vision in the same direction.

"We're awfully high aren't we?" Kirie asked sitting across the table from him.

"Yes, we are Kirie but what do you think of the view?"

"It's alright, I guess.. Extravagant place to host a restaurant" Kirie commented looking around at the other tables and the waiters and waitresses walking around. "..And what the heck is this crap? Why can't I read any of it?" Kirie voiced flipping through the menu.

"It's French Kirie. Translations are in the back if you're so inept" Fukuyama chastised. Kirie, choosing not to let the insult get to her, scans the back of the menu and debates her decision as soft music from a team of violinists in the corner of the restaurant fills the air.

"...So, what do you think Yukinari has been up to these past weeks?" Kirie asked from behind the menu after an awkward silence between the two. "He rarely has any time to hang out with me anymore. He and Lisa really seem to be bonding."

"Please Kirie, don't remind me" Fukuyama requested irritably. "I don't want him with my little sister! But you seem so concerned and yet you won't allow me to split the two."

"Of course not! Yukinari can choose what to do with whomever he wants. It's not up to you!" Kirie answered.

"Why are you so concerned then Kirie? Just let him be."

"I am!... I'd just like to know..."

"Why Kirie?" Fukuyama asked as his mouth curled into a slight grin. "Are you worried for him or is there something else?"

"You know what, forget it alright! You can resume talking about yourself if you'd like."

"Hey, don't forget who's paying for this wonderful restaurant experience! I deserve a little more respect than this!"

"Your parents are Fukuyama, not you. Your parents pay for everything" Kirie said flatly.

"Damn straight!" Fukuyama gloated. Kirie, ignoring him, simply continued looking down longingly at all the people populating the city.

For Kirie, she could only speculate what Yukinari was up to.

As for Yukinari, time passed him by as weeks turned to months and though the sessions became longer, they became more interspersed throughout the days of the week allowing Yukinari to pace himself. Yukinari pushed himself up from the floor with lesser difficulty, and raised his chin above the horizontal bar with an ease he had never experienced before. The number of times he raised the barbell above himself became longer and he pushed himself further and further. Where the will to go on was all coming from he didn't know: perhaps it was all the days, weeks, months, years he had spent under peoples' feet. Perhaps it was Kirie's constant, adamant words of encouragement that often echoed in his head during his training. Maybe it was Lisa's devotion to Yukinari's training, cooking some of his meals and preparing his Muscle-Gro drinks. Maybe it was his hatred of Shinichi and his abuses and the resentment of other abusers at school that drove him forward. Whatever it was, his improved performance in physical education and the reflection in the mirror proved it was working.

"Yukinari, I want to try something different today" Nina, standing over Yukinari, directed at her student one day.

"What, did, you have, in, mind?" Yukinari said as he struggled against a push up on the training room floor, a drop of sweat falling off of his face. Before him, Nina drops a set of black padded gloves. Yukinari turns his head up.

"Get up and put 'em on Yukinari" Nina instructs as she slips on a set of punching pads. Yukinari slips on the fingerless gloves and awaits further instruction from Nina.

"Surely you know what comes next" Nina asked holding up her punching pads. "Go on. Take a swing!"

"Miss Nina, I've never swung at anyone before" Yukinari reveals. Nina could only adopt a look of confusion on her face.

"I don't get it. Is that supposed to mean something?" Nina questioned. "I don't know what that means. Does this mean you're not going to swing at me?" she asked with a bewildered tone to her voice. "You've never done it before so you're not going to do it now? I must say, I find you to be a very interesting person, Yukinari."

"I'm sorry Miss Nina" Yukinari quickly apologized. "I, I'll give it my all."

"Excellent. That's what I wanted to hear" Nina said as Yukinari pulled his right fist back and drove it forward as hard as he could. The swing meets with Nina's punching pad and the collision sends Yukinari stumbling backward. "Whoa!" he lets out as he tries not to lose his balance.

"Well that was embarrassing" Nina mutters unimpressed, her hands on her side.

"L-like I said. I've never swung at anyone before" Yukinari excused scratching at his head sheepishly.

"Clearly..." Nina agreed. "Yukinari, if you wanna punch someone, technique is key. If you don't have technique, you don't have a punch. Get over here." Yukinari obeys. "If you wish to deliver a punch, you have to put your body into it" Nina lectures removing the pads on her hands. She proceeds to throw punches at the air, her shoulders, hips, legs, feet all following through with the maneuver. "Punching involves more than just your arm muscles: put the momentum of your entire body into your attack. Working out all your muscles aids you in delivering major damage. And it makes you look more intimidating!"

"I see" Yukinari said impressed and feeling motivated. "Got it."

"Alrighty then, let's try again" Nina said putting the punching pads back on.

"Let's" Yukinari agrees and he gets in position.

"Feet shoulder-width apart. Put your shoulders and everything else into it" Nina commands. Yukinari swings, his fist hits the pad sending Nina's hand back. "Very good. Again!" Yukinari swings again and again his punch lands. "Your left fist, step forward with your right foot!" Yukinari launches several more with a comfortable rhythm. Right, left, right, one after another he lands them, Nina feeling his body weight imposed on her palms. Yukinari works up a sweat, one he had been building up with his exercise, and does not fail to satisfy Miss Nina. "Very good Yukinari! Very good!" she praised, another fist landing on her right palm. "Okay, that's enough." Yukinari takes a seat.

"Sorry Miss Nina. I've been putting in my time today so I'm tired" Yukinari notifies drying himself with a towel.

"That's alright. You've been doing well these past weeks" Nina praises further.

"Thank you" Yukinari thanks taking a breather.

"Yukinari, you hungry? I know I am" Nina asked pulling out her cell phone. With it, she orders take out.

"Miss Nina, you didn't have to" Yukinari said looking down at his own boxed lunch.

"It's no problem Yukinari, really" Nina said digging into her order. "Food tastes best when you share it with someone."

"Thank you Miss Nina" Yukinari thanked and he too started eating. "...Mmm, this is great!"

"You like it? Pretty good huh?"

"Yep. Thanks again!"

"Sure. It's from a new place that opened up recently and they make good food!" Nina informs and both continue eating. "Quite healthful too."

"...Miss Nina, I have a question: how long has this place been here?"

"Not long. Now that you mention it, we're coming up on this club's first year anniversary actually."

"So a year then?" Yukinari asked.

"Yep" Nina confirms.

"Wow, congratulations! Be sure to do something when that day comes" Yukinari suggested.

"I'll consider it..." Nina responded as she popped a celery stalk into her mouth.

"Miss Nina, an observation: this is the Underground Fighting Club but there's more exercising than fighting" Yukinari observed looking around at the other club members making use of the exercise equipment.

"You think so?" Nina said joining Yukinari in scanning the fitness room. "...You might be right... Maybe I should change the name to this place then? Underground Fitness Club? How's that sound?"

"That sounds more appropriate Miss Nina" Yukinari said with a chuckle.

"I guess I'll consider it then" Nina said finishing up her food. "There will still be fighting regardless of the name. Speaking of which, I'm going to get you fighting soon enough. Prepare for it Yukinari."

"Prepare for fighting?"

"Yes, we've been getting you into shape for more than just making you look respectable" Nina revealed. "You're not scared are you?"

"...No, no. I'm not" Yukinari answers putting on a brave face.

"Good. The day's coming soon. Don't let it take you by surprise" Nina said as she walked off to assist other club members.

"Yes Miss Nina" Yukinari finished. After steady, challenging, and regular cardiovascular, strength, and stamina training, the day came:

"Yukinari" Nina, staring at her wrist watch began one day after about three months of training. "You need more time resting up?" she asked Yukinari who was breathing deeply sitting up on the UFC training room floor.

"No, I think 20 minutes should be enough" Yukinari said getting up and shaking his limbs.

"Very good. And it is my pleasure to inform you that that was three hours and 20 minutes of training you've just completed" she said. "Congratulations! You did it!" Nina said slapping Yukinari in the back.

"Oh Yukinari! I'm so happy for you!" Lisa squealed with glee pulling Yukinari into her embrace.

"Ow... Lisa, I'm still a bit sore" Yukinari complained feeling Lisa squeezing him a bit too hard.

"Oops! Sorry" Lisa said before handing Yukinari a water bottle.

"And so we finish with part one of your training" Nina declared.

"Part one?" Yukinari asked.

"Yes, part one: making you look respectable by putting some flesh on these bones" Nina said squeezing Yukinari's arm. "Next part is putting that flesh to good use!"

"What do you mean?" Yukinari asked as he took a drink from the water bottle.

"Do I have to spell it out? Fighting. We weren't aiming for looks alone. I mentioned it some days ago. Not only that, that baby face of yours looks unsightly on your build. Let's put some scars on that face!"

"No! Absolutely not!" Lisa protested pulling Yukinari's head into her arms. "Stay away from my soulmate's face!"

"Yukinari" Nina stated simply giving Yukinari an impatient look.

"Lisa, don't worry. I'll be okay" Yukinari assured her pulling away. "Okay... What do I have to do Miss Nina?"

"Take another 10 minutes' rest while I look for an appropriate sparring partner."

"Sure" Yukinari agreed and breathed deeply resting up his body as best he could. It didn't take long: not only had he grown physically stronger but his recovery time had shortened.

"Yukinari, are you sure?" Lisa asked worried.

"Yes Lisa.. This is what I've been striving for all along."

"I hope you're sure about this" she said as she handed him a towel. "A lot of these guys look really strong" Lisa observes looking around the room. Yukinari also looks around to find other men with monstrous arms lifting large weights above their heads.

"I-I'm sure it won't be any of those" he said nervously. "I-I'm very sure it will be a beginner, like me."

"Alright" Nina began as she returned 10 minutes later. "I've found someone and I'll be calling him over soon but first, a quick review. Stand up." Yukinari stood up and Nina put her fists at her sides.

"Punch me" Nina suddenly commanded.

"Huh?" Yukinari suddenly said perplexed.

"In the gut, come on. Pay me back for when I punched you" Nina said.

"But-"

"Go on" she instructed impatiently. Yukinari draws his fist back and then drives it forward into Nina's stomach. She shifted in her spot from the punch and her face adopts a look of disappointment. "Well, have you punched me yet? I couldn't tell" she said demeaningly. "Do it again!" Yukinari drove his fist into her stomach again which felt like punching a padded brick wall. "Put your body into the punch damn it!" Nina disciplined. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten! Like this, watch carefully!" Nina drew her right fist back, her right shoulder also drawn, the right side of her body drawn. With an incredible speed, her fist drove forward into Yukinari's stomach, her body following with the movement. Yukinari's breath exploded out as he clutched his stomach but he remained standing. "THAT was a punch! Don't forget it again!" she remarked as Yukinari coughed trying to regain his breath.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Yukinari apologizes as Nina began walking off suddenly. "Where are you-" Yukinari gasped holding his midsection.

"Fighting gear" Nina answered as she headed to the locker rooms. She returned holding two pairs of fingerless padded gloves, one red pair and one black. In addition, she also held two padded head gears, one red and one black and mouth guards. "Put these on" she instructed handing Yukinari the black gloves, black head gear, and a mouth guard.

"Kaito! Get over here!" she yelled as Yukinari put the gear on.

"Yes ma'am!" Kaito, the high schooler with dark crew cut said as he showed up obediently.

"Put these on and fight Yukinari here" she instructed handing him the red fighting gear.

"Y-yes ma'am.. Against him?" he said somewhat underwhelmed.

"Yes. Don't give me that look" Nina said.

"Seems a bit small" Kaito remarked.

"Is that what you think? I bet he'll kick your ass" Nina said with certainty to Yukinari's dread.

"No he won't" Kaito replied determined.

"Put these on then" Nina said handing over the red gear.

"M-Miss Nina, I'm starting t-to have second thoughts" Yukinari whispers Nina's way weakly.

"Nonsense, you're plenty ready" Nina answers back. "Boys" Nina directs at some burly members, "get the cage up! We've got ourselves some green horns taking center stage."

To Yukinari's dreadful surprise, the cage was set up in instants and before he knew it, he was standing at the corner of the inside of a chain link hexagonal cage in the center of the training room floor with a padded floor, Kaito adjusting his red gloves in preparation at the opposite corner. Everyone in the room was standing watching seemingly amused.

"I love these", "these are funny sometimes", "Kaito's so winning" Yukinari overheard in the crowd as he stood, his legs trembling.

"M-Missh N-Nina, I've n-never fought before! I can't do thish!" Yukinari, not used to wearing a mouth guard, said filled with fear past.

"Neither has Kaito! Also, no better way to learning than hands-on experience!" Nina said standing just outside the cage. "Now get in there and rip him apart!"

"Do it Yukinari! Beat him down!" Lisa screamed holding a banner that read 'victory'.

"Lisa, you were supposed to protect me!" Yukinari thought as water streamed down his cheeks.

"Good luck Yukinari!" Masashi's voice called out from somewhere in the crowd.

"Enough shtalling Yukinari! Let'sh get thish over with" Kaito growled through his mouth guard impatiently as he approached Yukinari on the other side of the cage. He swings his left fist wide aiming at Yukinari's face only to be evaded as Yukinari ducks. With his right fist in position, he swings again and misses again as Yukinari yanks his face away from the attack. "Hold still you little-" he growled as he launched his knee at Yukinari's gut which Yukinari successfully side steps and quickly hops away to the other side of the cage.

"W-what do I do!?" Yukinari wailed alarmed.

"Punch him back you worm!" Nina barked frustrated. "He's an amateur like you!"

"No amount of advishe can help him here" Kaito said with a smile. He approached threateningly, both arms rigidly positioned at his sides.

"For one, put your arms up idiot!" Nina yelled. Yukinari took his hands from his sides and pulled them up into fists in front of his exposed face. Kaito launches his foot straight at Yukinari's face determined to make contact. Yukinari dodges again.

"Look for an opening and hit him!" Nina shouts again. "Punch him in the face when you get the chance! Do I have to spell it out!?"

"You're a coward Yukinari. You don't have the gutsh!" Kaito insulted.

"He's playing with your head Yukinari! Don't let him get to you and hit him back!" Nina calls out as Kaito launches a left hook, a right hook, then a left swing. Yukinari dodges all three moves and remains nimble on his feet. Kaito charges at Yukinari and launches a kick in the air which Yukinari ducks away from.

"Booo", "we want some blood!", "we're here for fighting, not dancing" the crowd began jeering.

"Let'sh get thish over with Yukinari!" Kaito shouted as he swung his fist again, widely and with a great force. Yukinari dodged and seemingly out of nowhere, a sudden force drives his right fist to launch forward into Kaito's exposed face. Yukinari's fist by some miracle connects.

"Did I hit him!?" Yukinari thought in disbelief. "I hit him!" Suddenly, a great weight imposes itself on Yukinari's face jerking his head forcefully to the side and he stumbles away. "I'm hit! I'm hit!" Yukinari almost panicked after suffering a retaliatory swipe from Kaito. "Miss Nina, I, I don't know if I can do this!"

"Yukinari, you can't be serious" Nina mocked in her mind. "Nonsense, Yukinari, suck it up! Be a man and take the pain!" she shouted. "And he barely touched you! Stop embarrassing yourself and fight back!"

"Fightsh not over Yukinari! If thish ish all you've got" Kaito growled in his approach, his fists at his sides, "I'd shtart worrying." Kaito reinitiated his attacks. A left punch misses. A kick with his right hits, Yukinari again increases the distance clutching his ribs but Kaito quickly closes it launching a straight jab at Yukinari's chest which is evaded.

"Alright, finally", "yeah, I was falling asleep over here" some voices rang out in the crowd. Yukinari's fists became more daring as he started to become used to the anxiety and the pain. He had never experienced it before. Any attacks that connected did not hurt as much as he expected them to, any openings he began to take more advantage of as the fight continued. His fear slowly subsided.

"I, I can do this. I can do this!" Yukinari thought to himself as he engaged his opponent. Kaito unleashes a right, left, right with both fists and follows up with a knee and a high kick. Yukinari dodges the first, withstands the second and third. Blocks the knee and ducks the high kick. Seeing an opening, he again tosses his fist into Kaito's ribs. Kaito responds with a back-fist to Yukinari's face. Yukinari grabs hold of that same hand and headbutts Kaito. Kaito angrily retaliates kneeing Yukinari successfully in the stomach. Kaito then tosses him at the fence, throws a punch and a kick but only hits the fencing as Yukinari evades.

The fight was now unrecognizable from moments before. Now they were both fully engaged in the fight, fists and kicks flying, some connecting, some missing as people shouted words of support and derision, some at Yukinari, some at Kaito. Both stood out of breath on opposite sides of the cage, sweaty with minute amounts of blood in the sweat coating their bodies. Kaito was caught somewhat by surprise, Yukinari forgetting all about his previous hesitation, Nina watching pleased, Lisa watching Yukinari amorously.

"I-I've got three monthsh on you and here you are holding your own" Kaito said breathing heavy. Yukinari's face now showed no fear, only a determination to survive this fight against someone taller and with more time under his belt.

Suddenly, as though thinking the same thing, they both charge at each other and launch a right punch in unison. Both connect and their heads jerk from the collision. They both fall back and lose their balance, Yukinari landing on his back, Kaito in a sitting position.

"Alright, that's enough!" Nina said as she entered the cage satisfied by what she had seen. 


	9. Chapter 9

Season 3 Episode 33: Fight for Your Bravo!

"What happened between you two? Did he do anything to you?" A boy with fiery-red hair and piercing red eyes asked the pink-haired girl. The girl was seated on a large bed, a veiled, second floor window by her side inside the bedroom she and the young man were in. The room looked no different than any other bedroom found in an average home equipped with a large mirror, a closet and dresser and even a small television.

"He didn't do anything, I swear!" the pink-haired girl insisted. "We're good friends!"

"Is that so? You looked upset when you came home. Why were you upset? What did he do to you? What's a big brother supposed to think when his little sister comes home from Earth upset especially when she's been involved with an Earthling boy. Clearly he has taken advantage of you" the boy concluded with arms crossed. "What was his name?" the boy demanded suddenly.

"I'm sorry big brother, I won't tell you" Miharu said determined. "I hate it when you do this."

"Tell me!" the boy demanded again. "Miharu, if I find out he did anything, I swear-"

"He didn't do anything!" Miharu shouted, her eyes near tears.

The boy remains silent for a time staring at his distressed younger sister but then says "fine, don't tell me. I'll find out for myself" as he proceeds to exit the room. "Remember, you can't leave these premises without my permission Miharu. Just stay put" he says and closes the door to the room as Miharu stares worried outside the window. On her ankle, a small device with a tiny display is wrapped around tightly.

-TRANSITION-

It was a sweltering day in Yukinari's hometown for that particular portion of the year. The hot, dry air made it somewhat unbearable to be out and about but it was perfect weather for beachgoers and it boosted sales at ice cream shops and of refreshments at convenience stores. Walking out of a convenience store, a narrow faced, thin young man by the name of Tenchi carried with him refreshments to a parked car nearby. "He's not here yet, huh?" Tenchi asked as he climbed in.

"I say we just ditch 'im" Aho, an overweight, chubby-faced character in the back seat suggested.

"Tenchi, what time is it?" Akuma, a muscular man with tattooed arms asked from the passenger's seat.

"I don't have the time" Tenchi said handing one of the refreshments to Akuma. "Aho, what time is it?"

"It's 4" Aho said.

"Fifteen minutes is enough time. Let's go" Akuma announced. Just then Shinichi approaches as the car was pulling out, sweating and weezing greasily.

"W-wait for me!" he shouts as he catches the door handle of one of the rear doors. As he opens it, the car accelerates pulling him forward. He loses his balance and falls.

"Hahahaha!" laughed Aho. "Stupid fatso!"

"Shut up!" Shinichi snarls standing back up and getting in. "What was that for!?"

"It's for keeping us waiting" Tenchi answers.

"Fifteen minutes is fifteen too long" Akuma said with a commanding voice. "You were supposed to join us at 3:45" he adds.

"It's really hot today so I couldn't get here fast enough" Shinichi excused flapping his shirt. They drive off, Tenchi at the wheel, Akuma in the passenger's seat. Aho and Shinichi share the back seats.

"Where to?" Tenchi asks as he drives the car.

"Just drive around. I want to get a feel for this town" Akuma said.

"For how long?" Tenchi asks coming to a stop at a red light.

"I'll say an hour" Akuma said resting back on his seat and nursing his refreshment.

"..So Akuma, when are you breaking us into the business?" Tenchi asked after a few moments. "I was thinking we could have practiced on that store we just left."

"It would have been too soon" Akuma explains. "Too many people around too. And besides: I'm still on vacation. I'll break you guys into the business when I feel the time is right. For now, I just want to take it easy..."

"Take it easy huh?"

"I don't mind taking it easy" Aho comments. "The longer we spend out of shitty hotel rooms, the better."

"If that's true" Shinichi said, "then you guys could help me with this kid in school who's been threatening to rat me out. I say we go pull him in and teach him not to get out of line."

"Not this again: Shinichi, we're not your private army" Akuma said.

"But you guys helped me in the past" Shinichi reminded. "With Punynari, remember? That was worth a good laugh."

"Yeah, I remember that" Aho recalled snorting. "The kid was such a gopher, I can't believe you asked us to beat the kid. Couldn't do it yourself?"

"He snitched" Shinichi explained defensively.

"That makes no difference to me: unless you're paying us to do it. You paying?" Shinichi says nothing. "Didn't think so. Learn to deal with your own issues yourself" Akuma said.

"But you helped me with Punynari" Shinichi answered. "Why won't you guys do it again? You guys enjoyed yourselves didn't you?"

"We were bored" Tenchi said. "We didn't do it for your sake. You're not special."

"Assholes" Shinichi growled much to Akuma's annoyance.

"What are you getting mad at us for?" Akuma asked. "Aiming at getting into university or something? You turning scholar on us? I don't need a scholar. I need someone who's where I need him to be and on time. You deal with your own issues on your own time, not ours" Akuma said finishing his refreshment and tossing the container out the window. "Now if you don't shut your mouth, that'll be you out the window." With that, Shinichi shut his trap and their ride drove onward at the flicking of a green light.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari stared at his gloved hands almost as though in a trance. "I-I can't believe it!" he thought proudly, his back flat against the padded floor.

"I don't understand. I've trained longer than Yukinari but he did so well" Kaito pondered to himself.

"Impressive wasn't it?" Nina asked Kaito who gets back up on his feet. "Don't forget your manners and shake hands" Nina instructs. Nina and Kaito both approach Yukinari. "I must say Yukinari, for someone who has never fought anyone before, that was something" Nina compliments.

"Missh Nina, ish it over?" Yukinari asked as he sat up.

"Yeah, it's over" Nina answered. "Did you want to go longer?" Yukinari does not answer for a brief moment as he felt emboldened by the fact he'd faced a fear of his.

"..K-kind of" Yukinari answered. "It ended quicker than I thought."

"Yeah, fights can be pretty detrimental to your health if they go on too long" Nina explained as Kaito approached. He pulls Yukinari back up onto his feet after offering a hand. "Okay now, shake hands you two" Nina instructs. Yukinari and Kaito do as instructed, Kaito's grip feeling much more firm than Yukinari expected.

"It was an honor fighting you Yukinari" Kaito says after they both spit out their mouth guard.

"Yes, it was an honor fighting you too" Yukinari returned. Their hands release as the small crowd assembled around scatter mildly satisfied, some surprised with what they had seen, others underwhelmed. Yukinari, Kaito, and Nina exit the cage through the cage door as some of the other club members begin to disassemble it.

"Yukinari!" Lisa shouts and she throws herself at the boy. "You were amazing!" she exclaims as Yukinari catches her.

"Hehehe, thank you Lisa" Yukinari thanked.

"Yukinari, let's fight again some time" Kaito says as he proceeds to the locker rooms.

"Yeah, s-sure" Yukinari calls out with Lisa holding on.

"Yukinari, congratulations. He didn't kick your ass" Nina compliments patting Yukinari's back. "Getting used to it yet?"

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be" Yukinari admits.

"Happy to hear that" Nina responds. "Now hit the lockers and get yourself cleaned up."

"I'll help!" Lisa declares pulling out a first aid kit. With a bottle of rubbing alcohol and cotton balls, she begins tending to the small cuts on Yukinari's face. After leaving the UFC, Yukinari and Lisa proceed home together alongside large crowds going about their day. "Yukinari, I'm really proud of you! I never thought you could do such things!" Lisa said walking next to Yukinari along a crowded sidewalk.

"Yeah, I admit I was afraid at first but I felt less scared as I fought on!" Yukinari said excitedly. "It feels as though I'm dreaming" he said examining his hands.

"You looked so cute when you were fighting" she says wrapping her arms around one of his arms and leaning her head against his shoulder. "Let's hurry home and hit the bath!" she says amorously.

"You mean separately right?"

"Did I ever say together you dirty-minded little.. But yes, together, naturally!" Lisa says with a naughty grin on her face.

"Nope, I prefer bathing alone."

"But you need someone to scrub your back!" Lisa protests.

"I can do that just fine thank you."

"You're no fun" she complains with a moan.

"You can still cook for me though. I'm starving" Yukinari teases.

"Ha ha, very funny" Lisa laughs sarcastically.

"Seriously though, I've worked out intensely and I'm spent. I need some nourishment" Yukinari says rubbing his stomach.

"Carry me home bridal style and I might consider it" Lisa offers. Yukinari, taking her comment seriously, picks her up into his arms and starts running home. "Yukinari, what are you-" Lisa says blushing and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Carrying you home, what else?" he asks as he runs. Lisa, staring dreamily at Yukinari, says nothing and enjoys the ride. He runs for a few minutes before having to stop.

"Wow. You 'are' spent" Lisa observes Yukinari breathing heavy.

"Yeah.. like I said.. I'm a bit spent..."

On the street next to them suddenly passes a black car occupied by two heavier occupants in the back. At the front, another familiar individual is driving and a muscular one is resting his legs on the dashboard in a relaxed care-free pose. Out of the corner of his eye, Yukinari, to his horror, catches sight of the vehicle and immediately recognizes them all. One of them in the back was Shinichi, there was no mistaking his obnoxious face. The other three Yukinari was almost certain were the ones that beat him.

It all felt too similar to months before when they drove up next to him, climbed out, knocked him down and began beating him and it filled him with a terrible bone-chilling fright even after the car had driven away and out of sight.

"Yukinari, what's wrong?" Lisa asked worried. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Nothing" Yukinari immediately said recovering. "Let's get out of here" he said as they continued on. "I don't think they saw me.. Lisa and I must have blended in with the crowd around us. Thank goodness" Yukinari thought to himself. Arriving home together, Yukinari and Lisa are met with Kirie holding three bento boxes.

"Hello" Kirie begins cheerily. "Been waiting for you two" she says as she enters Yukinari's home with both of them. At the table, Yukinari, Kirie, and Lisa sit to eat.

"Wow, you made enough for three" Yukinari says surprised.

"Yep. One for me, one for you, and one for Lisa."

"Thank you very much Kirie. That was very thoughtful of you!" Lisa thanks. "Certainly saves me the trouble."

"Yukinari, what happened to your face?" Kirie suddenly asks as they began eating.

"Eh, it was-"

"An accident during a black magic session" Lisa interrupts. "We summoned a few demons but they weren't too friendly" she says as she slips food into her mouth.

"Really now?" Kirie says nervously as she abandons the topic and all three go about eating...

"Kirie, that was pretty good" Yukinari praises moments later finishing the last of his dinner.

"Thank you Yukinari. Good to see my hard work was worth it in the end" Kirie says smiling warmly. "Though I have to admit, mom helped as she often does."

"Give her my compliments" Yukinari said.

"Sure" Kirie agrees.

"I'm going to hit the bath. I'll be out in a moment" Yukinari excuses himself from the table.

"Sure thing Yukinari" Kirie said turning to Lisa. "So Lisa, did you catch the show on hauntings last night!?"

"Yeah, I probably didn't! Madam Mabanya takes precedence over everything else you see" Lisa answers.

"Oh, well you missed a bone-chilling show. It featured footage and photos of ghost sightings and poltergeists!"

"Don't tell me you find that scary" Lisa said.

"S-so what if I do?" Kirie responded defensively. "The show had amazing production values.. I mean I hid under the covers at one point even" Kirie revealed somewhat ashamed. Lisa couldn't help but grin at Kirie's childish cowardice.

"Please Kirie, mere random hauntings are child's play. I can summon the voices of the dead if I wanted to" Lisa boasted.

"P-please don't. I can't handle that. The ghost at the hot springs was already too much!" Kirie said shivering.

"That was so long ago. And what's the big deal? They're dead!" Lisa dismissed. Yukinari leaves Lisa and Kirie as they chatted about a million other things and it made him glad they seemed to be getting along. He had hoped to forget his worries for a time by relaxing in his warm bath but seeing the car pass by unsettled him. He had tasted a bit of fearlessness at the UFC but fear rushed back in earlier that day simply from the sight of the car. Why the stark contrast he wondered. He didn't understand as he rested further before climbing out and meeting back up with the two girls to find them both still interacting peacefully.

The next morning, Yukinari woke up and got ready for school. He and Lisa met with Kirie at his front door and they proceeded to school no differently than on any other day. This was the way it felt for Kirie and Lisa who talked casually. Yukinari however found it more bothersome. The road next to him now taunted him and reminded him of that day when he was rendered defenseless and he legitimately feared for his life so much he fruitlessly went to the police. This was temporary however as he cheered himself up by joining in on his two female friends' conversations.

"Good bye guys, let's meet up after school" Kirie suggests as she proceeds to her classes.

"Sure" Yukinari answers without thinking and Kirie departs.

"Aren't you going to the UFC today" Lisa asks.

"Yeah but I'm thinking about letting her know now what I've been up to. I've wanted to surprise her but it's been a real hassle having to keep it secret."

"Well, now would be a good time. You've come quite a long way since a few months ago" Lisa said as she too proceeded to her classes. Now with both girls gone, he proceeded as was routine to the same bench where Shinichi squatted every morning, schoolwork in hand, only to be turned away to his great surprise.

"Hold on to it Yukinari. Meet me outside room 143 at the biology department during lunch break" Shinichi commanded. "Hand it to me there." Yukinari did as he was told without question and showed up as he was told just outside room 143 in the biology department, a two-story building with odd-numbered classes on the first floor.

"Where the heck is he?" he wondered looking around with papers in hand. "...Ugh, I hate holding these damn papers" he thought as he glared at his 'homework'.

Yukinari waited for a few moments but no one, Shinichi nor any of his friends, showed up. He again glared at the papers in his hands and grimaced. A drop of some grayish-green liquid had dropped on the top page at some unknown point. With his hand, he attempted to rub it off only to spread it around which let him know it was fresh. Pulling out a napkin from his bag in something of a panic, he attempts to clean the page with little success. Again a drop of similar color drops on the page again. Yukinari, realizing what had happened turns his vision up above him to find, to his horror, a torrent of greenish-gray sludge falling towards him. Reflexively closing his eyes and turning away, the unknown sludge splashes his head and soaks his uniform. Immediately, a smell of rotting fish or something similar stings his nose. The liquid stuck to his hair and clothing like glue as the smell began to make him gag. Up above him, another torrent of a nasaly grotesque laughter rings out.

"Hahahahahahaha, oh my god, what a horrible accident" Shinichi's pig voice rings out mockingly. "Who left that waste bucket here!?"

"Daaamn, got him good" one of the laughing trollish voices commented above the laughter.

"Hey Punynari! You ruined my homework!" Shinichi snarled from up above. "You're paying for that big time!" he yelled as the laughter continued uninterrupted, Shinichi's friends holding their sides.

Yukinari ignored it all as he struggled to remove the slime off of his head and clothing. Oddly enough, he was not angry though he didn't know if this was because he was so surprised by the prank or simply because of his general demeanor. How he would feel if he let it sink in he didn't know. For now, all he knew was he wanted it off of him as he proceeded to the bathroom, the stench merciless still.

"H-hey" Shinichi's voice suddenly rang out, "what the hell bitc-" he managed to shout out as the sound of a fist striking flesh interrupted him loudly.

Yukinari stops in his tracks and driven by some sudden, nagging suspicion, immediately runs to the stairs on his way up to the second floor. Arriving to the site of the disturbance, he finds a growing crowd surrounding some unknown confrontation between two people. After working his way through making several in the crowd seize their noses, Yukinari sees Shinichi getting up from the floor sporting a bloody nose and an enraged look on his face. His ugly eyes glare straight at a brunette standing at the opposite side of the middle of the crowd, a brunette Yukinari immediately recognized.

"You vile, bloated scumbag!" Kirie snarls with fists balled up tightly, Shinichi's fellow hoodlums holding her back. "Bastard! Think you're so tough picking on Yukinari, huh!?"

"No! Kirie!" Yukinari thought out of horror and fear for Kirie's safety.

"You bitch!" Shinichi bellows as he approaches Kirie.

"I'm sending your ass to hell!" Kirie threatens breaking free and throwing her fists again landing a left cross and following up with a right punch.

"Argh!" Shinichi let out. Just barely withstanding the punches, he manages to surprise Kirie with a swift but heavy smack across her face, her hair whipping in response and a loud slapping sound ringing out as the crowd gasps. "Back off!" Shinichi demands as he shoves Kirie away causing her to stumble backward but she manages to keep her balance.

"..Oh, and here I thought you'd only swing at those weaker than you" Kirie ridiculed recovering. "I was mistaken!"

"Don't fucking touch me you crazy bitch!" Shinichi growls holding a swollen cheek.

"It's good to see you've actually got some fight in you! Guess this makes things more interesting then!" Kirie says cracking her knuckles. "Hope you'll like getting your ass kicked by a girl" she says as she readies her fists and closes the distance between her and Shinichi only to witness Yukinari's tormentor seized by the collar by someone in the crowd.

Yukinari, grabbing a fistful of Shinichi's shirt, pulls his abuser his way, looks him straight in the eye, draws a fist back and with a hard, heavy swing his knuckles collide with Shinichi's lower jowl.

A rage that removed all fear had overtaken Yukinari as well as his actions. For an instance, Yukinari didn't care anymore about consequences, all he knew was he wanted to see Shinichi pay for even daring to touch Kirie. A second fist flew swiftly and heavily against Shinichi's bulbous cheek causing his head to jerk violently. He followed this up with another punch to the side of his face launching Shinichi out and against the wall, his head whiplashing violently as he struck the side of the building and then collapsing onto the floor.

"Touch her again and I swear I'll smash your face in!" Yukinari growled angrily as adrenaline coursed through his veins, his muscles tensed, his breathing deepened and his face twisted in unforgiving hate. "Get up you pig!" he spat as students immediately restrained his arms, Shinichi seemingly out cold on the floor.

"Yu-Yukinari!?" Kirie gasps aloud in shock, Yukinari taking no notice, his eyes still drilling into the hoodlum on the floor.

"What is going on here!?" one of the school teacher's voices shouted out from somewhere as Shinichi began pulling himself up.

"Mr. Yamato!" some voices in the crowd called out as a tall, stocky man with a red tie, suit, and shaved head disrupted the crowd and jumped into the middle of it all.

"I asked a question and I demand an answer! What's going on here?" he asks again with a deep and forceful voice. Looking around, he finds Yukinari covered in an odd, smelly green-gray film, a Shinichi spitting out bloody saliva, and Kirie in shock. "I see.." he comments as he picks up the bucket near the base of the second floor railing. "Everyone, get back to class! Shinichi, get up this instant!" he commands as he pulls Shinichi up by his collar and holds the bucket with his other hand. "Come with me to the nurse's office. I swear your antics won't go unpunished, not on my watch" he scorns as he begins to drag Shinichi away, Shinichi's supposed friends long since gone.

"You, uh, Yukinari Sasaki. Calm yourself down" Mr. Yamato advises. Yukinari relaxes his breathing and releases the tension on his face. "Miss Kojima."

"Yes sir?" Kirie responded.

"You seem to be one of his good friends. Do me a favor and help him get cleaned up."

"Yes sir" Kirie obeyed. "Yukinari, let's go into this lab here" she said holding her breath and indicating a biology class next to them. Following behind her into the lab, he peers one last time in the direction of Mr. Yamato dragging Shinichi away. To his horror, he finds a vindictive bloody grin stretched across his face which drained Yukinari of any anger left and filled him with fear again. Fear for his wellbeing but more so for Kirie who had stepped in to defend him. Would Shinichi sick the same thugs on him again or worse, would he have them attack Kirie instead? It was as Yukinari had often feared: Kirie had stepped in and things had only gotten worse. 


	10. Chapter 10

Season 3 Episode 34: She's a Fighter Bravo!

"Yukinari, what the hell did they dump on you!?" Kirie asked grossed out as she sprayed Yukinari's hair down with a shower head in the biology class they had entered.

"I don't know and I don't care" Yukinari said scrubbing the last of the slime out of his hair. "All I know is it smells terrible and I want it off!"

"A-alright Yukinari, take your shirt off" Kirie said holding the shower head at the ready.

"M-my shirt?"

"Yes, your shirt!" she repeats firmly. "Take your shirt off. I'm sure some of the crud they dumped on you found its way into the inside of your uniform, right?" Yukinari with some hesitation begins to remove the top of his uniform revealing his moderate physique, his squaring shoulders and modest pectorals. "See? I knew it. Some of that crap got on your back. And your shoulders even!" Kirie said. "How'd it get there? Angle your back so that your pants don't get wet" Kirie instructs.

"S-sure" Yukinari murmurs following orders and without hesitation Kirie begins to spray some of the slime off of Yukinari's upper back. "Who the hell do they think they are doing such things to you!? Bastards" Kirie mutters.

"Isn't she surprised?" Yukinari wonders in confusion.

"Were you expecting me to be more surprised Yukinari?" Kirie asks suddenly.

"A-about what?" Yukinari asked timidly.

"What do you mean about what?" Kirie questions. "About this" she says gesturing at his upper body with the shower head. "I remember you being thinner."

"You mean you noticed?" Yukinari inquired with a hint of disappointment.

"Sure did! You've been trying to hide something by wearing thicker clothing for a while now. Hate to disappoint you but you didn't fool me: I've known you for far too long to not notice the difference as time went by."

"Oh" Yukinari responded simply.

"That and there were a few times in gym class where you took your shirt off to let off some steam" Kirie recalled. "You'd never done that before."

"..Oh.." Yukinari repeats more weakly this time for having been so careless.

"Whatever the case, you should be proud Yukinari! I might've not been surprised just now but I have to say I'm impressed!"

"You are? I, I'm glad to hear that Kirie" Yukinari said sincerely as he continued cleaning himself off.

"Sure thing Yukinari" Kirie responds pulling what looked like shed snake skin off of Yukinari's shoulder. "I'll tell you what did surprise me: you attacking that guy the way you did. You not only landed a punch but you put the weight of your body behind it and sent the guy flying! I don't know what you've been up to but it's been working."

"Uh, yeah.. I've been working on things here and there" Yukinari said modestly.

"Really!?" Kirie asked excitedly. "What have you been doing?" she continued before reigning herself in. "Actually, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. If it was supposed to be a secret, you can tell me when you're ready if you'll ever be ready. I can wait."

"Well.." Yukinari hesitated.

"I'll act surprised if you want me to" Kirie offered charmingly.

"Hehe" Yukinari chuckled. "Okay... I guess I can tell you.." Yukinari says making Kirie's face brighten. "...There's this club I joined where people weight train and fight. I've been a member for a few months now and I've been working out and training there on a regular basis."

"I can see that" Kirie says as she begins to visually examine Yukinari. "So that's what he looks like now?.. Wow!.." she admires in thought.

"D-do you have to stare?" Yukinari asks embarrassed.

"O-oh, I'm sorry! Was I?" she asked blushing lightly. "Also" Kirie resumes, "I've never seen you look so angry before. The way you shouted at him."

"Well he hit you and pushed you Kirie!" Yukinari said with worry.

"Tch, a weak little slap and shove, I've endured worse" Kirie said dismissively. "He's just a typical bully: bigger bark than his bite. Not even worth my time but since he attacked you, I decided to kick his ass!"

"He didn't really attack me" Yukinari tried to dismiss.

"Yukinari, stop making excuses" Kirie chastises. "What Shinichi did back there was cruel and the way I see it, you hitting him was something you should have done sooner! He deserved it!"

"I, I guess..." Yukinari said.

"Don't say it like that!" Kirie disciplined. "Don't let people give you crap! Stand up for yourself! Do that at least!" she implored.

"I, I will" Yukinari said feeling emboldened by Kirie's tone.

"Well that sounds more like it!" Kirie said beaming at her blue-haired friend. Yukinari, despite a continued worry, couldn't help but return the gesture. "Almost done" Kirie said as she finished cleaning the last of the waste. "Okay, there goes all of it" Kirie announces. "Now let's see..." Kirie began as she started searching the room, "seeing as how this is a science lab, I'm sure there's gotta be... Ah! Here they are!" the brunette says pulling out a bundle of new service towels from a cabinet. "Hold still" she commands as she begins to dry Yukinari off.

"Th-thank you Kirie" a somewhat red-faced Yukinari thanks as he was dried off. "...But I can do this myself."

"...Sure" Kirie answers surrendering the towel in her hand. Yukinari then picks up from where Kirie had left off.

"...Kirie" Yukinari whispers softly and turns away. "...Your top."

"Huh?.. Gah!" a blushing Kirie exclaims looking down at her uniform and finding skin and bra showing through her moistened, white top. "D-don't look, s-stupid!" Kirie quickly lets out retreating to another part of the room.

"I'm not!" Yukinari responds as Kirie starts dabbing at herself with another towel. With help from her own body heat, she does not take long to dry herself off. "All dry" she announces with a sigh of relief and then regroups with Yukinari who had the towel draped over a shoulder.

"F-forget you saw anything" Kirie commands.

"Forgotten" Yukinari answers with a passive tone to Kirie's clear annoyance.

"I-I'm serious!" Kirie pressed red in the face.

"I didn't see a thing Kirie" Yukinari notifies scanning his school jacket. Suddenly, they are both taken by surprise by the classroom door swinging open and Mr. Yamato walking in.

"Yukinari, Kirie. I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"No, not at all Mr. Yamato" Kirie answered as Mr. Yamato entered.

"I see you've cleaned up nicely" he told Yukinari smiling. "So tell me" he began questioning seated at one of the classroom tables. "What happened?" Yukinari and Kirie, as instructed, began to explain what had happened: how Shinichi dumped the bucket from the second floor, how Kirie immediately responded and how Yukinari, upon witnessing Shinichi's retaliation, reacted angrily.

"Hm, I'm sorry to say Kirie but what happened is known as assault. I understand that Shinichi did what he did but violence is not welcome here at Mizuno High."

"So then what was I supposed to do?" Kirie protested.

"Notify the teachers" Mr. Yamato stated bluntly. "Unfortunately you didn't and punishment for violent behavior is suspension."

"But Mr. Yamato-"

"Mr. Yamato" Yukinari interrupted, "this was all my fault. Please punish me, I was the one who made Shinichi bleed. I should be punished, not her!"

"Yukinari, the truth is both of you should be punished for your behavior, there is no room for bargaining" Mr. Yamato reprimanded as Yukinari and Kirie fell silent in defeat. "I need to report this to people above me but I'll tell you what" the teacher continued, "I'm going to speak to my superiors and see if I can't pull some strings to reduce the severity of the punishment."

"Really?" Kirie and Yukinari said in unison. "Wow, thank you so much Mr. Yamato!"

"Thank me when I've lessened your punishment. Consider yourselves lucky that I like you two and dislike that pompous punk, Shinichi" Mr. Yamato said as the bell rang indicating the end of lunch period. "Get to class you two but you are to show up to the principal's office after school" he announced as Yukinari and Kirie proceeded to class. "Cross your fingers you two! Fighting is seriously dealt with here at Mizuno!"

During his remaining classes, Yukinari, wearing a spare uniform shirt provided by Mr. Yamato, had the misfortune of having to endure people constantly asking him what had happened. "Hey, is it true? Did you really beat up that Shinichi guy?" a student sitting next to Yukinari asked as others leaned in for the answer. Being all too weary of how rumors propagated, Yukinari initially refused to answer any questions but soon began to answer questions little by little understanding rumors would spread regardless.

"Not really" Yukinari answered humbly. "I only hit him once."

"You knocked him out with one hit!? Unreal!" the student gasped, a few others astounded. Kirie, sitting and watching from nearby, could not help but smile at Yukinari's elevating status. She felt glad that several students seemed to have improved their opinion of him and without realizing it, she drifts off to a daydream as she stared in Yukinari's direction.

"Kirie?" Yukinari said shaking Kirie out of a dream-like state several moments later.

"Wh-what!?" Kirie lets out as she's shaken out of her daydreaming.

"Kirie, class is over" Yukinari informs. "Are you alright? You were looking kind of red in the face for a few moments" he said with concern.

"N-no! I'm fine!" Kirie assured hurriedly.

"You were spacing out Kirie. You looked rather at peace actually. What was on your mind?"

"It was n-nothing important!" Kirie said urgently.

"Oh, okay then. I daydream big too sometimes!.. Sorry if I interrupted anything."

"N-not at all!" Kirie assures quickly.

"Okay, shall we go then?" Yukinari asked.

"Where?"

"We gotta go to the principal's office. We're getting punished for earlier today, remember?" Yukinari reminded the brunette.

"Oh, right" she confirms getting up and following Yukinari's lead. Yukinari and Kirie both proceed to the principal's office for their punishment. Kirie's expected punishment of suspension is reduced to simple daily detention for two weeks starting the next day which Kirie accepts willingly. Yukinari's suspension is downgraded to school chores during his lunch breaks for two weeks which he has little issue with accepting. After asking, they also learn to their delight that Shinichi has not been so lucky: he has been suspended for two weeks from school for his behavior and even fined.

"I've been looking all over for you!" Lisa exclaimed as she found Yukinari and Kirie just outside of the school grounds. "What's been going on? I've been hearing rumors that-"

"Long story" Yukinari interrupts leading the way towards the UFC. "Kirie, I want to introduce you to the UFC. Come, it's this way. Let's go Lisa."

"The UFC?" Kirie asks.

"You mean she knows?" Lisa asks looking back and forth between Yukinari and Kirie. Yukinari, Kirie, and Lisa make their way together to the town shopping center, Yukinari keeping an eye out for the black four-door car from before as they blended in with town crowds. "Wow, so Yukinari punched him in the jaw?" Lisa asks astounded as all three approach the UFC a few moments later.

"Yup" Kirie says proudly as she admired Yukinari's broader shoulders leading the way.

"Good for him! You teach that bully a lesson Yukinari" Lisa cheered on as she followed. "So on top of being sexy he's brave also" Lisa says as she stares at Yukinari's buttocks leading the way.

"Pervert!" Kirie reprimands placing her palm over Lisa's eyes.

"Oh like you didn't-"

"N-never!" Kirie objects defensively.

"Kirie, you're not fooling anyone" Lisa accused, arms folded. "I can see perfectly through your 'pure little girl' act!"

"Sh-shut up" Kirie hissed with a hint of shame to her voice.

"I'm more than sure you've had your fair share of dirty thoughts! You're a girl just like any other girl! That's what girl's think!" Lisa justified her accusations. "I should know, as a girl myself!"

"No! N-no!" a blushing Kirie could only say in objection. Unknown to the two as they both were exchanging words, Yukinari was not paying much attention, too distracted by another matter more urgent.

"Should I tell Kirie? About Shinichi being the guy who had me beat up when I told on his abuses?" Yukinari pondered. "I've got to! I've got to warn her that they might go after her!" Yukinari feared. "But then again if I tell her, she's not the kind of girl to back down.. She might try to confront Shinichi and his thuggish friends then!.. I, I don't want her to put herself in danger for my sake!.. What should I do?" Yukinari anguished. He would not have much time to figure out some course of action since he, Kirie, and Lisa had just arrived at their destination. "...Guys, we're here" Yukinari announces at the foot of the club entrance, the sign at the door now reading 'Underground Fitness Club: No Slouches Allowed'. "And it looks like Miss Nina's changed the name!" Leading the way inside, Lisa and Kirie follow. "This is the entrance room" Yukinari begins, "and this is Miss Nina" Yukinari continues indicating the spectacled woman with the dark green hair at the front counter.

"Yukinari, Lisa, good afternoon!" Nina greets brightly. "And who's the lovely brunette with you?"

"Miss Nina, this is my friend Kirie" Yukinari introduced. "Kirie, this is my trainer Miss Nina."

"Nice to meet you Miss Nina" Kirie greets tearing her eyes away from the weapons on the walls.

"Likewise Kirie!" Nina said, her piercing violet eyes meeting Kirie's own.

"So, you went along with the name change?" Yukinari asked.

"Yeah. More marketable and approachable than a fighting club and it fits better with the day-to-day activities here" Nina said.

"Miss Nina, is Kaito in?" Yukinari asks as he proceeds to the lockers. "I want to face him again."

"Why yes he is" Nina responds. "Same today as yesterday?"

"Yes Miss Nina. Same as yesterday."

"I'm glad to hear that!" Nina said satisfied. "Don't forget to show Kirie around the club though" she commands.

Yukinari and Lisa together introduce Kirie to the club. The entrance room and its mounted weaponry, the hall that leads to the lockers and the training room.

"So this is what you've been up to Yukinari?.." Kirie asked in amazement watching people lift weights and swing staffs.

"Yup. Hey Kaito" he shouts across the room to his fellow club member. "Rematch?"

"Uh, sure" Kaito casually responds putting away the barbells in his hands.

"Excuse me Kirie, Lisa. I need to go get changed" Yukinari excuses himself as he walks off toward the locker rooms.

"Rematch?" Kirie asks Lisa perplexed.

"You'll see" Lisa answers with a smile.

Moments later, Yukinari returns wearing the club uniform, a sleeveless black shirt with a yin-yang wrapped with a dragon on the back, black pants and flames decorating the openings for the arms and feet. On his hands Yukinari wears black padded fingerless gloves and protective head gear on his head. Kaito approaches him wearing similarly except with red gloves and head gear.

"Good luck" Yukinari says to Kaito.

"Good luck to you too" Kaito returns.

"Wish me luck Kirie!" Yukinari shouts in Kirie's direction. "You too Lisa!"

"Good luck Yukinari!" Lisa answers loudly. Kirie does not respond and instead stares in disbelief. Aside from the change of clothes, Yukinari looked different. His toned arms wore the gloves skillfully and hung confidently from his sides. His square shoulders carried his head proudly, his face showed determination when for as long as Kirie had known him, it often only showed low morale, uncertainty, and cowardice. Together with Kaito, he approaches the same cage from the previous day at the center of the training room and enters. Yukinari stretches and swings his arms and legs around as he warms up and readies for the coming struggle.

"I have to improve. I have to win" Yukinari urges psyching himself up as he eyes Kaito on the opposite side of the cage. As small, curious crowds assembled and sat around the two combatants, Yukinari's mind drifted to other topics besides the fight: if and when Shinichi's thug friends might try something or if they would target him or Kirie or Lisa even. Could they be capable of more than a simple mugging?.. If they tried again, might Yukinari be able to fight back now?.. What was Kirie thinking as she watched?..

"Alright, begin whenever you're ready!" Nina shouts from the side of the cage.

Kaito and Yukinari close the space between them. Kaito launches a straight right fist to the face which Yukinari dodges and answers with a right fist of his own. Kaito blocks with his left forearm and delivers a right hook which scrapes Yukinari's abdomen. With his left fist, Yukinari lands a hit on Kaito's face making Kaito jump back. They begin to walk around and seek openings. Kaito unexpectedly jumps and kicks Yukinari in the face rattling his head. Yukinari quickly recovers and finds an opening, delivers an elbow to Kaito's stomach as Kaito lands. Kaito falls back but maintains his balance as his back hits the fence. Seeing his chance, Yukinari jumps and kicks aiming for Kaito's upper chest. Kaito charges forward absorbing the kick and knocking Yukinari down to the floor, his back slamming it loudly. Kaito immediately pins Yukinari down with a knee and begins to swing at Yukinari's head. Yukinari, finding no immediate way out, puts his arms up as they endure the abuse Kaito's balled fists deliver. With all strength he could muster and by tolerating a few punches to the face, Yukinari pushes Kaito off and away from him and immediately gets to his feet. With a high kick, Yukinari hits Kaito's chin. Enduring it, Kaito grabs hold of Yukinari's leg but Yukinari quickly leaps with his free leg and kicks Kaito again breaking his leg free from Kaito's grip.

"Yeah Yukinari! You can do it!" Lisa screams out over the crowd's loud chatter.

Kirie, still letting it all sink in, watches in amazement. "I-is that really Yukinari?" she wonders as Yukinari delivers a heavy punch to the side of Kaito's neck. "...Wow!"

"You look surprised. Is this the first time you've seen him do something like this?" Nina asked standing next to Kirie.

"Y-yes" she answered still amazed.

"You know, I still remember how weak he was when he first showed up here three months ago. His arms were nowhere nearly as heavy as they are today. I mean, they're not huge but at least they don't look like skin and bone now either" she said as Yukinari took and withstood a severe punch to the stomach causing some 'ooows' in the crowd. With incredible effort, Yukinari remains on his feet, his face twisting in pain. "It looks like he can take a punch now too!"

"Of course I'm surprised Miss Nina... I remember when I first met him, years ago" Kirie said. "He was so short and weak. Always getting bullied and pushed around by so many around him, many of them girls. It was so bad that he even developed an allergy to girls just touching him. He developed an allergy even to me, his own friend... Then again, even I would get angry at him sometimes..." Kirie reveals with a heavy heart. "...But no matter what, he always put up with it. He stayed his sweet, caring self."

Yukinari grabs the fist Kaito buried into his stomach, pulls him in and elbows the side of Kaito's reddened face and more 'ooows' are delivered by the crowd.

"Well I don't know about you but I'm impressed with how far he's come" Nina said as a tired Yukinari successfully dodges Kaito's exhausted punch and punches Kaito heavily causing sweat and tiny amounts of blood to fly out. Kaito falls back and collapses onto his back, the thud ringing out clearly. Yukinari, tired, falls down to one knee but with an incredible might gets back up just as quickly, both out of breath and bloodied.

"How. How have you.. gotten thish good sho quickly?" Kaito asked as he struggled back to his feet. Yukinari was unsure of how to answer that question.

Several brutal minutes have passed as Yukinari and Kaito fought on, neither side willingly giving the other any ground. After putting up a stubborn fight, Kaito, with cuts and bruises on his face and body, charges with the last remainder of his strength putting his last bet on a tackle. Yukinari, less bloodied, stands his ground absorbing the charge, his muscles bulging gripping Kaito's arms, and pushes him back down to the floor.

"How do you think he's done so well after so shortly Miss Nina?" asked Masashi next to her.

"That's a good question: I think his motivation is key to finding an answer" Nina observes. "I believe he has a bullying problem at school right Kirie?" Nina asked.

"Yes, he does" Kirie agrees.

"I can vouch for that too" Masashi adds.

"Well there lies our answer" Nina said. "Push a man far enough and eventually, he's going to start pushing back."

"That's... good to hear" Kirie mutters satisfied.

"You know what else? Just yesterday, he was afraid of fighting Kaito" Nina recalls. "I think since Kirie joined us today, he was quite eager to get back in! I think he wanted to show you this above everything else Kirie!" Kirie does not respond to this, instead maintaining her focus on the inside of the cage. Inside said cage, Yukinari walks over and offers Kaito a hand. Kaito accepts it and is pulled back up to his feet. They both shake hands, thank each other respectfully, and exit the cage exhausted.

"That was intense Yukinari! Congratulations!" Lisa immediately congratulates jumping to Yukinari's side.

"Do you.. really think sho?" Yukinari asks still out of breath.

"Of course!"

"Hehe, thank you Lisa" Yukinari says after removing his mouth guard.

"What are you waiting for?" Nina asks Kirie. "Aren't you going to congratulate him?"

Kirie does not answer but stares, not in amazement or shock but in a kind of sadness. As she watched Yukinari remove his head gear and gloves and tend to some of the cuts on his face, she realized Yukinari wasn't Yukinari anymore. Not the Yukinari she had known since childhood...

Kirie was sure she had gotten over him long ago, sure she was moving on. After shedding tears watching Yukinari date Miharu, she had accepted and even supported Yukinari's decision to pursue a relationship with Miharu rather than with herself. This was no different when Yukinari shared a kiss with Lisa; she encouraged him, congratulated him, and resisted letting her feelings get the better of her.

Though she'd hate to admit it, the feelings she had for him never truly faded. She had only learned to suppress them by just being happy for Yukinari and dating Fukuyama. Watching Yukinari trying so hard at improving himself just like Kirie had always advised him to do and succeeding tore at Kirie's insides. Her feelings were not dead. As she watched Yukinari, his face beaten but glowing with an unbroken resolve, she was certain now and again that she was starting to fall for him a second time, stronger than ever before. Not only for his kind nature and familiarity but also for his newfound confidence and strength... She felt now that it was a mistake coming here with him to the UFC. She now wished it were still a secret or that it were all untrue. She wanted to avoid getting hurt again.

"Hey Kirie" Yukinari begins approaching her, "so what did you think? It was harder yesterday to actually get in there and fight but I think I'm getting used to it!" Yukinari said humbly. "K-Kirie, what's wrong?" Yukinari then asked Kirie whose eyes seemed on the verge of tears.

"No-nothing! Congratulations Yukinari!" Kirie quickly responds standing up from her seat, turning away, and removing as much emotion from her face as she could. "Yukinari... I'd like to go home now" she quickly declares as Nina listening nearby raises an eyebrow.

"Oh!.. Well, okay but let me get cleaned up first. Got a few cuts on my face as I'm sure you can see" he says as he proceeds to the lockers.

"Yukinari, let me help!" Lisa calls out as she follows.

"But Lisa, you can't go into the boys locker room."

"Oh please, it's not like the boys mind and I won't be there long. Besides, I only have eyes for you!"

After Yukinari and Lisa had made their way to the boys lockers, Kirie makes her way to the entrance room. As she enters, she stops and finds a bright yellow and orange afternoon sky illuminating the buildings outside. She had never really liked the color of the sky during dusk: it always represented a sad end to something or a tragic death and when she felt sad, it only magnified the feeling. Grabbing at her chest, this dusk hurt like no other.

"What should I do?" She thought desperately leaning against a wall. "I just want to be his good friend but... I can't stop myself..." she thought, her feelings complicating further. "Why does it have to feel like this?.." she asked, a sinking feeling in her chest.

"Are you feeling okay?" Nina asked from behind the front counter.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry... I didn't know you were standing there" Kirie answers composing herself hurriedly.

"Well? Are you feeling alright?" Nina pressed on.

"O-of course I am" Kirie assured firmly.

"You looked upset moments ago..." Nina recalled. She is met with silence. "...You weren't expecting to see Yukinari like that were you?" Nina guessed correctly.

"No... I wasn't..."

"Would you rather not discuss this now?" Nina asked picking up on Kirie's body language.

"I'd rather not" Kirie confirmed.

"Very well. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry" Nina apologized.

"No, it's okay" Kirie finishes. Though that line of inquiry was over at that point, Nina could still tell Kirie was feeling down. "..What did you do to him?" Kirie then directed Nina's way in a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

"Yukinari, he's just, he's changed himself for the better" Kirie said. "How did you do it?"

"I didn't do that" Nina answered. "Sure, I pushed him in the right direction but it was ultimately up to him to rise up to the challenge. And that's exactly what he did."

Kirie says nothing else and an instant later, Yukinari walks into the room, Lisa tailing him. From what Nina could discern, seeing Yukinari seemed to instantly lift Kirie's spirits up. Nina could not help but beam at this.

"Kirie, sorry for the wait but I've finished cleaning up! You ready to go?" Yukinari announces.

"Y-yes. Let's go" she said as she exited the building, Lisa following close behind.

"Yukinari" Nina calls out from the front counter as Yukinari begins his exit.

"Yes" Yukinari responds stopping halfway out.

"That brunette, take good care of her."

"What?"

"Take good care of her. She needs you."

"...Uh, sure!" Yukinari says uncertain of what he was agreeing to. "Of course! That's what friends are for!"

"Right."

"Right.. Good bye Miss Nina!"

"Good bye" Nina responds as Yukinari exits. She buries herself into a book and murmurs "clueless idiot" some moments after Yukinari had long left the club.

-TRANSITION-

On the way home, Kirie stared up at the gloomy dusk sky and clouds and sighed deeply as she followed behind Yukinari and Lisa.

"So what's it like getting punched in the stomach like that?" Lisa asked.

"Not so bad when you get used to it" Yukinari answered. "Pain's tolerable enough and the fights don't last that long either. You just gotta suck up the pain and punishment for a number of minutes and you're good. Getting the wind knocked out of you is the worst part though!"

"I especially loved it when you knocked him down in the end! It was incredible! Don't you think so Kirie?" Lisa asked Kirie unexpectedly. "Wasn't it great?" she asked as Yukinari also faced the contemplative brunette.

"Oh! Yes, of course it was..." Kirie answered quickly as she teared her eyes away from the sky. "You did wonderfully Yukinari!" she directed at Yukinari.

"Thanks!" Yukinari answers as they smiled at each other.

"Man, what a great fight!" Lisa continued.

"Thanks a bunch you guys" Yukinari repeated.

Kirie, like Lisa and Nina, had watched the fight as well but it was not the fight itself she was concentrating on. Her eyes were fixed on Yukinari the whole time. Whether she could ever admit it to Yukinari one day... She didn't know... Perhaps she too had room to grow. 


	11. Chapter 11

Season 3 Episode 35: A Bravo Defense!

"She's suffering from some sort of trauma. I don't know, something happened to her on Planet Earth and I'm afraid she might try to go back against her best interests" the fire-haired young man explained. He sat in an office across from a female Space Travel Agent, an employee of the branch of the Seirenian government that Koyomi and Tomoka also worked for.

"If what you're telling us is true then we can certainly arrange for an extension Mr. Kanaka" the uniformed worker with straight bluish-silver hair replied as she looked over various files on Miharu.

"Please, call me Seiichirou" the boy requested.

"Yes, Seeichirou, you filed an order of temporary detainment some days ago for your younger sister, Miharu, but we'll need to send a professional to evaluate her before you can get an extension of detainment."

"If it is for my sister's sake, then certainly" Seiichirou said.

"So when would you like to have her evaluated?"

"As soon as possible. I'm already watching over her as it is and I'll be with her at home so my schedule is quite open."

"Is tonight okay?" the agent asked typing away at her desktop.

"Yes, it's perfect. Thank you so much for your help" Seiichirou thanked.

"Certainly" the agent replied as Seiichirou proceeded to exit the office.

-TRANSITION-

"Hey old man! Is this all you've got?" Aho growled at a frightened old man. This old man had suffered the misfortune of taking a shortcut through his usual commute and Akuma and the others had just happened to drive by. Now he found himself cornered and outnumbered somewhere in some isolated, dark alley as a large, ugly thug probed his leather wallet. From it, a number of bills and his ID are seized.

"Search his bag, maybe he's got some valuables in there too" Tenchi commanded holding a switchblade loosely as he cornered the old man.

"Give me that!" Aho said snatching the bag in the senior citizen's hand.

"P-please don't hu-hurt me!" the man begged. "I-I've got a f-family at hom-"

"Relax old man. All we want is your money" Tenchi said, his switchblade hovering near his victim. "Keep your eyes to the ground old man! Don't look at us" he demands and the old man, out of crippling fear, obeys. "Anything Aho?"

"Tch, just a bunch of papers" Aho said dumping the bag's contents on the dirty alley street.

"Hurry it up" Akuma commanded keeping watch some feet away. "You wanna steal well, you gotta be quick. We can't stick around."

"Guess we're done here. Old man" Tenchi says grabbing their victim's attention without fail.

"Please d-don't hurt me. Y-you have what you want" the man said as though by reflex. He still made sure not to look at his tormentors.

"Old man, you wanna live? You're going to stand here in this spot and if you move an inch or go to the police" Tenchi threatened, "you're as good as dead, you understand?" The old man jerkily shakes his head in frantic agreement. "We know who you are Mr. Sakurai" Tenchi said taking a glance at the ID. The man froze up in horror but he understood they were letting him go as long as he cooperated. Tenchi puts his blade away and joins Akuma and Aho in walking away briskly leaving the old man standing there, too frightened to move. Blocks away, away from the scene of the crime, they enter their black car after checking that the coast was clear and drive off.

"How much?" Akuma asks from the back seat as Tenchi drives.

"Not much. About 8,000 yen" Aho says from the front passenger's seat flipping through paper currency.

"Small-time" Akuma said calmly.

"No shit. What are we doing wasting our time on that?" Aho said impatiently.

"It's not always about the take boys. There's always a greater joy in the thrill."

"For you there is" Aho muttered under his breath. He is ignored.

"That seemed pretty routine to you Akuma" Tenchi commented.

"I've done my fair share of dirt but you boys are just starting out. A small take is to be expected. But don't dismiss that take so quickly: a few minutes of dirt will buy us gas for hours. You got the man's cell phone?"

"Yeah" Aho confirms holding the phone up.

"Good. Wouldn't want the man to call for help now would we?" Akuma asked.

"Of course not" Tenchi answered as Aho shook his head. "..So where to now?" Tenchi asked.

"Shinichi's place. He told me he's been suspended from school so he should be home."

"Suspended? For what?"

"I'm sure he'll let us know. Drive" Akuma commands relaxed on the backseat.

Arriving at Shinichi's home, Shinichi enters the car as it drives by and he shares the back seat with Akuma. As it continues its drive, Shinichi explains what had happened the day before. How after dumping waste down on Yukinari, Kirie attacked him and after pushing her back, Yukinari lashed out unexpectedly.

"So he kicked your ass?.. Interesting" Akuma said pitying Shinichi.

"No he didn't!"

"You said he made your mouth bleed. How did Punynari make your mouth bleed?" Aho asked demeaningly from the front.

"I hit the wall."

"He made you hit the wall? Haha! Incredible" Aho went on.

"No! He didn't kick my ass!" Shinichi exclaimed stubbornly.

"I gotta see this" Akuma comments to himself.

"So are we gonna roll up on him or what?" Tenchi asked as he made a right.

"Yeah, I wanna find out how he whooped Shinichi. He's got me interested" Akuma said.

"It was a lucky shot!"

"Shut up Punynichi!" Akuma retorts as Aho and Tenchi burst out in laughter at Shinichi's expense.

"Assholes" Shinichi muttered to himself.

-TRANSITION-

Kirie strolled casually through the halls of her school the next morning hoping to avoid meeting up with Fukuyama. By now, she had already been officially dating Fukuyama for about three to four months. As she walked, she struggled to find the strength to share with him some bad news she felt she had to tell.

"Kirie, there you are" Fukuyama showed up from an adjacent hallway. "What's the matter?" he asked noting the troubled look on her face.

"Oh. Hey Fukuyama" she greeted half-heartedly. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too" Fukuyama returned. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you for a while now."

"Well, you weren't looking hard enough" Kirie answered mildly. Fukuyama's eyes narrow slightly at this.

"...Kirie, I'm feeling a bit famished. How about some refreshments?" he suggests after an awkward silence.

"Yeah, sure" Kirie agrees with a guilt-ridden tone. She follows Fukuyama outdoors to a nearby school snack stand.

"Two watermelon smoothies please" Fukuyama orders.

"R-right away Fukuyama" the girl at the snack bar answers sweetly. She is quick to blend the smoothies and with little delay, the order is ready. "Here you are Fukuyama!"

"Thank you sweetheart" Fukuyama said accepting the drinks and looking the girl in the eyes. The girl blushes. "See you around."

"P-please come again" the girl says as Fukuyama and a mildly annoyed Kirie depart.

"So, how was your morning Kirie?" Fukuyama asks.

"Okay, I guess. Nothing special, really" she says fiddling with the straw to her smoothy.

"That's good to hear..." Fukuyama responds. An awkward silence. "Is something the matter?" he asks after the quiet certain something was bothering her. "You're unusually quieter today than you usually are."

"No, nothing's wrong.. It's this drink" she lies awkwardly.

"Really? Would you like to take it back and ask for another or something?"

"N-no. Actually, there's nothing wrong with it" she admits.

"So then what? There's something wrong with 'you' then?"

"No! Let's just go somewhere else. It's too crowded here!" Kirie said as she started towards a bench. She takes a seat and Fukuyama sits next to her.

"It's too crowded?" Fukuyama parrots vexed. "That's an odd thing to say."

"Nevermind. Forget it" Kirie dismissed. Another quiet descends between the two. "...Fukuyama..."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever felt like you had come across a crossroads of sorts in your life? Like when your feelings demand you to make a tough choice?"

"Girls and their feelings" Fukuyama ridiculed in his mind. "Oh! All the time!" Fukuyama then answers. "There was the time I had to choose between one jacket and another to take to a party I was invited to! And then the time I was having trouble finding shoes that matched my new outfit! Oh, and don't get me started on deciding what sort of entrance to make! First impressions are always key!"

"..You don't say?" Kirie deadpanned.

"And then there was the time when I had scheduled dates with two girls at the same time!" Fukuyama went on regardless of whether Kirie was listening or not. "Oh, what a mess that was!"

"Sh-should I go through with this?" Kirie ponders to herself. She thinks of Yukinari the day before, how he had fought and won against Kaito, and the strong and confident young man her childhood friend was turning into. Though she was still unsure of how to approach the feelings she had for Yukinari, the fact was she just didn't see it working out between her and the blonde prettyboy sitting next to her. Kirie, through a feeling of guilt, sits uncomfortably before finally fessing up. "Fukuyama, th-there's something I have to confess."

"What?"

"Fukuyama, I've decided to break up with you" Kirie said with a tone of determination. At this, Fukuyama's face shows surprise at first but then adopts a look of relief. "Finally Kirie, it only took you a few months" Fukuyama said giving her a mockingly humorous look.

"What?" Kirie asked confused.

"Kirie, I've dated dozens of girls throughout my school life and by far, you've been the worst of them all. I've dated cold fish warmer than you Kirie!" Fukuyama criticized. "We rarely went out and when we did, all that would happen is I'd spend money on you for zero payoff during or at the end of them all. You wouldn't even let me touch you!.."

"You mean grope!" Kirie objects angrily.

"It's the same thing!" Fukuyama countered as Kirie grumbled. "..You see Kirie, a man has needs... If you know what I mean..!" he says, a lecherous grin stretched across his face.

"Pervert!" Kirie growls hopping up off the bench and dumping the smoothie atop Fukuyama's head.

"Or you'd growl and glare at me for some little reason or another" Fukuyama, remaining seated, says as he swiftly pulls out a napkin.

"For your dirty lechery!" Kirie adds fiercely.

"Regardless. The thing is, it's not just you who has learned a thing or two from our dating: I've learned that I'm not the monogamy type. I need a lot of girls to be satisfied, not just one! In other words, you're not woman enough for me Kirie, I'm sorry to say."

"You've learned nothing!" Kirie objected offended. "You've always been a depraved pervert like that!"

"And I think you've learned a thing or two recently Kirie" Fukuyama continued. "You've learned there's someone else whose side you'd like to be by, one besides my own." Kirie's eyes light up as Fukuyama's words strike a chord. She says nothing. "Kirie, I've known you for long enough to know that you've always had your heart set for someone else and recently, your heart has demanded you pursue its desires, against your own doubts, worries, fears... That and the way you'd look at Yukinari and Miharu whenever they would spend time together was pathetic!"

"Sh-shut your damn mouth Fukuyama!" Kirie growled turning away trying to control her temper.

"Kirie, you're a terrible date" Fukuyama says sharply as he gets up on his feet. "You've clearly never been interested in me from the very beginning and only been using me to make yourself feel better. Thus Kirie, I've decided to dump you!"

"Dump me? Bull! I dumped you first!" Kirie protested.

"Now now my little Kirie" Fukuyama said as his hands flew up Kirie's uniform and began fondling her breasts. "No need to shed tears over me. I'm used to breaking hearts! It's what I do Kirie! Ooh Kirie, I swear your breasts keep growing day after day! Shame I've never gotten to truly enjoy these!"

"Why don't you" Kirie begins as she hits Fukuyama's face with the back of her head almost breaking his nose.

"Gaaah!" Fukuyama shrieks in pain stumbling back and grasping at his face.

"Break hearts!" she shouts as she high-kicks Fukuyama up into the air. "In HELL!" she screams as her fist flies up fast and hard at Fukuyama's face as he falls, his body twirling in the air and slamming the ground loudly. "Sicko pervert!" Kirie hisses as she claps dust from her palms and begins walking away triumphantly.

"C-curse you Kirie!" Fukuyama growled injured.

"...Th-thank you Fukuyama, for understanding" Kirie mutters after stopping momentarily. "You're a nice guy when you try Fukuyama. It might have worked out but-"

"But you just didn't find what you were looking for in me, is that it?" Fukuyama interrupted.

"I'm sorry" Kirie said.

"Such is love" Fukuyama said as Kirie, with a quick wave good bye, resumed her walk across the campus. "Hmm, that's funny" Fukuyama says to himself as he stands up and cracks his neck back in place, a fist-shaped mark on his face. "Now I know how the girls I've dumped must have felt" he mutters as he patted at his white uniform. "Yukinari, stay away from my little sister!" he suddenly growls as though Yukinari were there. Walking on to his classes, a look of sadness coats his face. "Damn, it kind of hurts actually" he thinks to himself clutching his chest. "..Not a problem though! I'm rich, handsome, and young! I'll just drown my feelings in lady flesh like always! That always cheers me up!" he says brightly as he resumes his trademark conceited smile and stride.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari, as demanded by his punishment, spent his lunchtime cleaning up the school campus and scraping gum off the ground. It didn't bother him but he still recalled a time when it was very bothersome. Instead of annoying him, he enjoyed accomplishing things even though they were supposed to be punishment. His only regret was that he couldn't join Kirie and Lisa and hang out wherever they pleased however they did give him company as he carried out his chores, walking and talking as they followed Yukinari around the school campus.

"Kirie, how long will your detention last?" Yukinari suddenly asked amid casual conversation between the three.

"Two hours" she answered regretfully.

"Two hours? That's a hefty detention!" Yukinari said as he scraped against a stubborn wad of gum.

"Yeah but it certainly beats a suspension!" Kirie said cheerily. "That's a one-way trip to a failing grade."

"Yeah, true! Haha" Yukinari said with a light laugh. Secretly, Yukinari was glad it was going to last as long as two hours. In detention, Kirie would be safe if Shinichi's thuggish friends were to target her. At least for those two hours anyway. Despite Kirie's skills at hand-to-hand combat, it was no guarantee that Kirie could not get hurt or that Shinichi's thugs would not carry weapons. His worry was not reserved for Kirie alone however. Yukinari was also a potential target and he questioned whether he could defend himself in fights outside of the UFC and especially against more than one person. He was afraid, there was no denying it but it was natural to be afraid. He had been pummeled before by those butt-ugly thugs and he didn't doubt it could happen again.

After school, it was Kirie's turn to serve her sentence.

"Well, it looks like it's my turn for my punishment" Kirie said to Yukinari and Lisa standing at the entrance to the school grounds. "I'll meet you guys in two hours then?"

"Yes but we'll come for you 10 minutes early okay?" Yukinari informed.

"Yeah, sure, if that's what you want" Kirie responded. "See you guys then!" she said as she headed back into Mizuno High's front entrance.

"Alright Lisa, shall we go?" Yukinari asks as Kirie leaves his sight.

"Actually Yukinari, I've got to go home. I've scheduled a meeting with my parents and I'm going to try to get my bodyguards back under my control" she responds. "But I'll meet up with you and Kirie here once her detention is done."

"Oh, well alright. Good luck Lisa" Yukinari says and they both part regrettably since Lisa's body guards could have come in handy if Shinichi's thugs were to show up.

Several moments later, after wearily blending in with crowds and keeping an eye out, he arrives at the UFC's front door. Working quickly, he enters, greets Nina, gets into his uniform and immediately begins lifting weights with the rest of his club mates. Working his arms, his legs, his shoulders. He builds up a sweat, Nina standing nearby keeping an eye out on the club members.

"Hey Yukinari" Nina calls out at one point, "you should work your hands on one of the heavy bags over there" she said leading Yukinari toward a corner of the training room.

"Work my hands?" Yukinari asked following.

"It means to work on your punches and jabs and such" Nina answered standing next to one of the club punching bags.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot" Yukinari said putting on his fighting gloves first. He winds his arm back and drives his balled fist into the bag. Immediately, his knuckles are almost painfully repelled by an incredible density within the filling in the bag which hardly recoiled from the punch.

"W-what was that?"

"Sand! There's heavy sand densely packed inside it! Really puts your fists to the test!" Nina said as Yukinari examined the punching bag. "Can't believe this is the first time you've ever interacted with a punching bag."

"Well, I barely wanted to fight anyone Miss Nina" Yukinari excused.

"Yeah, that's true" Nina agreed.

"Thank you Miss Nina. I'll get started on this now" Yukinari says as he draws his fist back again.

"Good luck Yukinari" she wishes him as she tends to other club activities. With an incredible effort, Yukinari punches at the punching bag which barely moves along. Putting the weight of his body behind his poundings, he launches both knuckles one after the other against the heavy mass, each hit letting out a loud smack but showing little effect as the bag hangs in its place. As sweat runs down his face and he runs out of breath, he rubs his pained wrists.

"Damn! My arms are burning! The shoulders especially" he observes, his breathing hard at work and his knuckles starting to hurt. "I must have.. punched it like.. 30 times and I'm already tired!" He thinks as he readies to begin again. After a few more pounding sessions, the ringing from a cell phone calls out from Yukinari's bag. He approaches his gym bag and pulls out his phone.

"He-hello?" he asks short of breath.

"Yukinari, guess what!" Kirie's voice asks cheerily. "I've been let out an hour early for my good behavior! Isn't that great?"

"What!?" Yukinari exclaimed alarmed. "Where are you now!?"

"Yukinari, what's wrong?"

"Where are you!?" Yukinari quickly asked again.

"I'm walking towards the club silly!" she answers which makes Yukinari's insides sink. "Yukinari?" Yukinari, acting quickly, runs out of the club with his phone up to his ear.

"Yukinari? Where are you going?" Nina calls out from the front counter but receives no answer from Yukinari still in his club uniform.

"Kirie! Where are you!?" Yukinari asks near panic as he runs in the direction of his school.

"I'm heading your way-"

"What street!?" Yukinari interrupts.

"Ginza Street. Why?" Yukinari, ignoring her, begins to look left and right for Ginza Street. Shinichi knew about Kirie and this urged him forward as fast as his legs would allow.

"Kirie, are there any people around you!?"

"Uh, yeah but not many. Why?"

"Damn!" he exclaims distressed. "Kirie, turn back!" he urged her as his frightened imagination dared to fathom all the horrible things that might befall his dear friend. It scared him horribly but also urged his legs forward, left and right faster as he searched for Ginza Street.

"What's wrong Yukinari?"

"Shinichi might have asked his thug friends to attack me or you!" Yukinari shouted.

"Shinichi? Wait, was he behind your assault!?"

"Now's not the time Kirie! Please turn back!" Yukinari begged as he ran more frantically through streets and read the road signs. At first, he did not notice the car following behind him but as it neared, his legs stopped in realization, his heart sinking.

"Yukinari? Where are you now?" Kirie asked.

"Fuji Road" Yukinari said simply.

"Fuji Ro-" Kirie managed to get through as Yukinari closed his cell phone.

"So they call you 'Punynari'?" a deep voice questions from behind him. Yukinari, after bravely turning his head, finds his assailants from months before standing just outside of their black car, Shinichi stood back next to the car seemingly there only to enjoy the show. Two of the three outside of the car, one thin blue-haired boy with crooked teeth named Tenchi and another fat with a prominent lower jaw and dirty curly hair by the name of Aho, glared at him mockingly. The third one, a man named Akuma who had tattoos running up and down his arms, leans against the car, his arms resting on the roof.

"Alright boys" Akuma says as a mix of fascination and false pity surfaces across his face, "give it a go. You have a minute."

"That's more than enough" Shinichi said. "I hold him down, you put a few in 'im" Tenchi directed at Aho. Aho nods at this cracking his knuckles and snorting a few eager chuckles.

Now was the time to put his hard work from before to the ultimate test. Now was the moment of truth. Months before, they smacked him about, knocked him down, and punched him in the stomach and face repeatedly as they taunted him. This time, his arms go up in preparation as Tenchi and Aho approach, their fists balled.

"Think you're tough now or something?" Aho croaked.

"Look, he's wearing gloves!" Tenchi ridiculed. "We're gonna straighten you out!" he threatened.

Tenchi initiates throwing a right fist which Yukinari ducks with ease. He lunges forward and upward driving his knuckles up into Tenchi's boney chin, the sound of Tenchi's teeth colliding rings out painfully.

"Wha tha fauhk!" Tenchi shouts holding his pained mouth and stumbles back.

"You little shit" Aho growled as he approaches and throws a sloppy right fist which Yukinari grabs, redirects and together with Aho's own momentum, he elbows Aho's fat face knocking him down to the ground. Aho quickly rolls away cursing under his pained face and regroups with Tenchi.

"Don't take him lightly boys. He's different this time" Akuma commands.

Aho and Tenchi both stand and charge at Yukinari intending to knock him down. Yukinari jogs backwards briskly, the thinner Tenchi getting closer than his thicker and slower companion. Yukinari then charges forward taking Tenchi out with a powerful jab aimed under Tenchi's sternum knocking his wind out.

"What the ffargh koff koff" Tenchi spits out. Aho closes in late and he too is repelled with a swift right hook to the face followed by a kick to the side of the knee knocking him down to the ground next to Tenchi.

"Aaarrrgh!" Aho agonied grasping his face.

Yukinari looks down at his two attackers in shock, not believing that the same two had months before struck a paralyzing fear into his heart. Now they lied on the ground in pain. They weren't dangerous assailants anymore, just punks who loved to pick on those weaker than they. The two punks get up again after a quick moment, their fists raised. Again, Tenchi attacks first: his right fist flies forward almost aimlessly. It meets Yukinari's arms which were up defensively and taking advantage of an opening, knocks Tenchi back down with a left cross to the chin.

"Gaaah!" Tenchi let out in pain as he collapsed. Aho, now standing, wastes little time: he charges, his arms wide open hoping to ensnare Yukinari into a bear hug. Yukinari, too quick for Aho's slow movement, hops just out of range and jabs the exposed round nose of his attacker, a particularly painful swipe against a soft part of the face.

"Arrrgggh!" Aho gurgles out losing his balance and landing once again next to Tenchi. Yukinari, stands above them both not knowing whether to simply run from a fight he'd rather not participate in or to stand his ground.

"Leave him alone!" Kirie's voice suddenly rings out from behind Yukinari. Yukinari, turning his head, finds Kirie at the corner of the block breathing deeply seemingly from a previous frantic sprint. "Get away from him you bastards!" she shouts as she starts to run again.

"No! Kirie!" Yukinari thought in alarm. Immediately, a blur from the corner of Yukinari's eye passes by him. He quickly realizes Akuma had given charge answering Kirie's own run. Kirie, undaunted, jumps high and throws a kick which Akuma catches with one hand and throws Kirie far back. She lands on her feet to Yukinari's relief.

"What the hell?" Kirie wonders urgently. "He-he's no amateur!" She charges again and throws a right fist which again is caught. Kirie throws her left and it too is caught.

"Interesting" Akuma mutters. Now with both fists in Akuma's possession, he shoves her back again and she almost loses her balance.

"Kirie!" Yukinari shouts in alarm. "Stay away from Kirie!" he shouts at Akuma.

"You should worry about yourself boy!" Akuma suddenly shouts behind him towards Yukinari. Kirie, seeing an opening, throws a heavy high kick which connects with Akuma's chin but almost as though by sheer power, Akuma withstands it, grabs hold of her leg but this time pushes her down to the ground in Yukinari's direction. He does not follow this up and with a part of his face pink from the kick, he stares down at the brunette indifferently.

"Go on then" Akuma, having seen enough, tells Kirie.

"Wha-!?" Kirie breathes but without hesitation, she rushes to Yukinari's aid.

Yukinari, distracted by Kirie's presence, was about to enter the fight to help her but as he did so, he feels a large heavy fist bury into the side of his face. Aho, the heavier amongst his two opponents, had better withstood Yukinari's attacks, had gotten up and swung wide with his heavy right fist. Yukinari, withstanding terrible pain spins just as Aho's left fist came flying toward him. Yukinari ducks giving him an opening to counter as Aho was left open by his failed swing. Instead, Kirie delivers her attack before Yukinari could.

"I don't think so creep!" Kirie exclaimed, her fist colliding with Aho's snout.

"Aaah!" Aho screams in pain as he falls away.

"And you! You'll stay down if you know what's good for you!" Kirie continued, this time planting the sole of her shoe on Tenchi's face as he tried to get up. Tenchi collapses in surrender. Kirie then turns towards Akuma, her finger pointed fearlessly at him. "Two against one now asshole! We're sending your ass to hell!" she shouts as she begins a charge.

Akuma was the tallest among them all. Yukinari however, with Kirie's safety at stake, didn't allow this to intimidate him. He couldn't allow it. Yukinari joins her in the charge but Akuma simply eyes them both amused. Just as Kirie tosses a most determined swing, Akuma sidesteps and Kirie falls forward striking air. Yukinari is similarly evaded. Now ignoring both Yukinari and Kirie, Akuma approaches his goons collapsed on the ground and kicks them both to get their attention.

"That was pathetic!" he yelled. "Get up you scum! Your minute's up! We're getting out of here!"

Yukinari and Kirie look on in confusion as Akuma lifts them both by their shirts and kick-shoves them back into the car. "Make room idiot!" he snarls at Shinichi who cowers in the back seat. Akuma makes his way to the driver's seat but stops short of entering.

"Hey! Young man!" Akuma called out at Yukinari. "That outfit. That's the uniform to Nina's club isn't it?" Yukinari was struck by this sudden inquiry. How did Akuma know about Miss Nina's club? He was quick to dismiss it however since the club wasn't a clandestine place after all. Still, he didn't want to answer the question. He wanted nothing to do with such an intimidating man. Kirie however was not so hesitant.

"Who the hell do you think you are you bastard!?" Kirie demanded loudly. "Try something like that again and you'll answer to me! I'll kick your ass myself!"

"Young girl, you don't think it's smart to talk to complete strangers like that do you?" Akuma challenged smoothly.

"Try me!" Kirie growled, teeth clenched.

"I'm sorry girl, you have one hell of a kick but you don't look like you're carrying anything valuable and I don't usually fight people smaller than me. It's not how I operate" he explains.

"Didn't stop you from ganging up on Yukinari did it!?" Kirie responded aggressively. She takes a step forward but before she could continue, Yukinari seizes her by the arm.

"Kirie, stop" he whispered. There was something about the man before them both that unsettled him. The man was dangerous. Kirie however didn't want to back down but Yukinari's look of deep concern and his gentle grip had successfully mitigated the brunette's rage.

"Well Yukinari, this was an interesting encounter, I must say" Akuma said right before entering his car. He begins to drive off but just as he was about to pass Yukinari and Kirie standing on the sidewalk, he comes to a stop. "Tell Nina that she did a good job on you boy. Glad to see she's doing something productive with her life... The name's Akuma by the way. You tell Nina that Akuma said hi and that he'll be in touch soon" he directs at Yukinari and then accelerates off and away and out of sight. 


	12. Chapter 12

Season 3 Episode 36: New People are Bravo!

"Glad to see she's doing something productive with her life? Tell Nina Akuma said hi?" Kirie quoted Akuma as she watched the car turn a corner. Yukinari, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach, collapses onto his hands and knees and hurls his lunch onto the pavement. "What the!?" Kirie exclaims in surprise. "Yukinari, what's wrong!?"

"I-I don't know!" he replies spitting out. "I just felt sick all of a sudden" Yukinari says as he gets to his feet. "I, I think I'm just a little rattled" Yukinari explains walking off queasily.

"Hey! You're not leaving this here are you!?" Kirie shouts alarmed. With a borrowed hose from a nearby building, Yukinari washes away his mistake down a storm drain. Feeling much better, Yukinari and Kirie walk together again to the UFC. "Kirie, are you okay?" Yukinari asked the brunette. "You were fighting that guy. You're not hurt are you?"

"Don't worry Yukinari, I'm not hurt" Kirie assured. "Actually, he didn't even attempt to hit me."

"He didn't? How do you mean?"

"All he would do was catch my attacks and throw me back. It was so weird. He said it himself: he doesn't fight people smaller than him. Pretty admirable I'd say."

"But he does rob them" Yukinari adds humorously.

"Well he's gotta make a living!" Kirie jokes back as they both laugh in unison. They both cross a street together and their laughter dies down. "Jeez, listen to us... This isn't a laughing matter" Kirie said urgently.

"Sometimes it's better to laugh..." Yukinari said. "I'm glad actually Kirie. That you're not hurt."

"I appreciate your concern Yukinari. It really means a lot to me" Kirie said smiling Yukinari's way. "And I'm glad too. Seeing you fighting off those two bastards attacking you. You had them crawling on the ground when I got there! That was awesome!" Kirie exclaimed.

"You think so?" Yukinari asked deep in thought.

"What? Don't you!?" Kirie asked impatiently.

"Yeah but it was surreal seeing them down there. Months before, they beat me up so easily and scared me terribly but just now, I had them on the ground crawling away! I'm almost embarrassed for myself that I had allowed those two guys to frighten me as much as they did."

"But this is why you decided to join the UFC! To better yourself" Kirie said in admiration. "To be able to stand up for yourself right?"

"Yeah" Yukinari agrees taking a deep breath as his adrenaline lowered. At that instant, Kirie turns to face him, her eyes looking into his.

"Yukinari, I'm really proud of you!" she said beaming. She then grabs him by the shoulders and pulls him into a hug. "And I too am very glad you're okay!"

"Thanks Kirie" Yukinari says returning the hug. "...Still, it was strange he knew about the club."

"Well, the place isn't exactly a secret or anything" Kirie pointed out.

"True" Yukinari agreed and they both hurry off back to the club. Yukinari and Kirie enter the UFC after walking briskly, Nina watching them curiously.

"Yukinari, where did you just run off to?" Nina asked from behind the front counter. "Is everything alright?" she asked noting Yukinari and Kirie's look of concern.

Yukinari and Kirie explain what had happened starting from the bucket incident to the attempted beating moments ago.

"Wow, where did this happen?" Nina questions.

"Around Fuji Road" Kirie answered.

"Oh, I know of that street!.. And you kicked their asses right? Good for you!" Nina compliments leaning back on her seat, hands behind her head.

"Oh, that's right Miss Nina" Yukinari continued, "the guy with the tattoos also told us that you did a good job on me and that he was glad to see you were doing something with your life."

"E-excuse me?" Nina lets out taken aback.

"He also told me to tell you that 'Akuma said hi' and that he'll be in touch soon. He also referred to you by name."

"Did you say Akuma?" Nina asked in surprise. Before Yukinari could confirm, she continued. "Yukinari, what kind of car was it?" Nina asked with a look of concern.

"What? I don't know, it was black and had four doors with tinted windows" Yukinari answered trying to recall the experience. "It looked like a Toyota or something. I'm sorry, I'm not very good with cars."

"Where was it headed!?" Nina demanded quietly.

"Uh, I, I don't know" Yukinari said failing to recall such a detail. "North?"

"Miss Nina, that was the least of our worries" Kirie added.

"Why Miss Nina?" Yukinari asked curiously.

"North from Fuji Road was it?" Nina recalls. "Yukinari, I'm going out. I'll be back later" Nina says grabbing her keys from under the front counter and exiting seemingly urgently.

"Miss Nina, what's wrong? Where are you going?" Yukinari asked but Nina ignored his question and soon left Yukinari and Kirie's sight.

"What was all that about?" Kirie asked.

"Don't know" Yukinari answered. He and Kirie proceeded to the training room where Yukinari resumed punching at the punching bag though not getting it to move by much. Kirie then approached the punching bag.

"Let me give it a try" she said drawing a balled fist back.

"Hold on Kirie, here" Yukinari said offering his padded fighting gloves. "You better wear these. Otherwise, you're going to hurt your hands."

"Thank you" Kirie said accepting the gloves. With gloves on, she also gave the punching bag several shots with similar results.

"Wow! This bag's pretty heavy!" she thought as she shook her hands painfully after her attempts. After Kirie had returned the gloves, Yukinari resumed his ritual. "Put your shoulder into it Yukinari!" Kirie instructs. "Move your body with the punches!" Several loud jabs and hooks later accompanied with swift sidesteps around the punching bag, Kirie hands Yukinari a towel and water bottle. "Here you go Yukinari. You've worked up quite a sweat!" she said admiring the look of effort in Yukinari's eye.

"Thanks Kirie" Yukinari said wiping the sweat he had worked up off his face. "I never thought it would take this much effort. Whew!" Shortly after, Lisa phones and then rejoins them both with an aura of success surrounding her.

"Hey guys! Guess what!" she poses to both Yukinari who was catching his breath, and Kirie who was seated at the bleachers running along the walls observing Yukinari hard at work.

"What?" Kirie asked.

"I've taken my body guards back!" she declared as both Kosame and Hayate suddenly appeared at her sides. "And my pesky older brother couldn't do anything about it!"

"Oh, congratulations!" Yukinari said as Kirie flinched at the gestures Kosame was tossing at her.

"Down girl" Hayate said yanking at the collar around Kosame's neck to Kirie's relief.

"Yeah, expect no less from Lisa Fukuyama!" Lisa declares in triumph, "but I still have to meet up with my parents regularly to report to them what I used my body guards for. Thanks a bunch big brother" Lisa says scowling. "So what have I missed? You're punching a bag?" Lisa asks examining the punching bag. "You're wasting your time Yukinari! You should fight other people and keep yourself sharp!"

"It's not as easy as it looks" Yukinari said as Kosame scratched at the floor in trying to get to Kirie's tantalizing figure, Hayate holding tightly to her leash.

"What's the point?" Lisa asks.

"Well, considering its weight, not only does it require a great effort to punch it, it also tests your strength and endurance" he explained as he launched another flurry of painful heavy attacks, the punching bag swinging only very slightly. "It's also very painful after a while. My wrists are killing me!"

-TRANSITION-

As Yukinari trained on, back at his vacant house, the water in his bath tub began to stir, bubbles rising to the surface mysteriously along with a bright light shining out from the bottom. In a sudden splash rises a young girl in the Space Travel Agency uniform and she quickly exits the tub, her uniform soaked. Immediately she begins to wring out her dress and fix her purplish blue hair tied into a pony tail with a white bow. Behind her also surfaces a shorter and younger girl with short orange hair and green eyes wearing the same uniform.

"There has to be a better way to teleport here to Earth!" the shorter girl exclaims climbing out of the tub.

"I'm sorry Tomoka" the taller of the two says.

"No need to apologize Koyo. It's not your fault" Tomoka says walking about dripping around the bath room. "Anybody home?" she calls out exiting the bath room.

"Wait Tomoka! Get dried first!" Koyomi calls out patting herself with a towel.

"No need. This place has carpeting."

"You'll catch a cold!"

"Grown-ups like Tomo don't get colds. We have resistances built up" Tomoka explains walking around and opening up bedroom doors, Koyomi following. "Anyone home? Where the heck is everyone?"

"Maybe they're out?"

"Just what Tomo was thinking!" Tomoka declared opening up the kitchen fridge and pulling out random snacks. "We'll just wait patiently!" she said flicking on the television and tuning into 'Poyon', her hair still leaking down onto the floor.

-TRANSITION-

Kirie and Yukinari explained everything that had happened moments ago to Lisa, her eyes widening and affection for Yukinari increasing. After getting out of his club uniform, Yukinari together with Kirie and Lisa, her assistants having withdrawn, proceeded out finding Nina seated at the front counter, an annoyed look on her face.

"Miss Nina, I'm off now. See you tomorrow" he waved.

"Yukinari, get over here!" she demanded and Yukinari obeyed approaching the front counter. "If you ever see that man again, let me know. Get the license plate number if you have to but get him to me!"

"Oh, okay Miss Nina.. May I ask why?" Yukinari dared to ask.

A momentary silence ensues. "You know what, nevermind. Forget it" Nina quickly said. "Get out of here."

Yukinari and the others hurrying off outside. "What was up with that?" Lisa quickly asked Kirie to both their intrigue.

"Maybe they had a history of some sort? I don't know. What do you think Yukinari?" Kirie asked.

"Not a clue." Yukinari didn't much care what the reason was. He was too busy enjoying his newfound ease of mind that came with his victory over Tenchi and Aho. Not only that, Shinichi was suspended from school and seemed now to be intimidated by the new Yukinari. Arriving at his home, he opens the front door and they all enter alerting Koyomi and Tomoka inside.

"Koyo! They're home! Help Tomo clean up!" Tomoka whispers alarmed at all the food wrappers and left overs strewn about in front of the television.

"Y-you clean up! I-I'll stall them!" Koyomi says proceeding to the front door. "We-welcome home!" she greets the three entering.

"Koyomi!" Kirie says surprised. "Long time no see!"

"H-how have you all been?" Koyomi asked politely.

"We've been great" Lisa said proceeding to the living room.

"Wait!" Koyomi says blocking Lisa's way. "Not yet!"

"Not yet what?" Lisa demands. "What's going on over there?" she asks as sounds ring out from the living room.

"Hello everyone!" Tomoka suddenly salutes standing behind Koyomi. "Big sister Kirie!" she calls out as she skips over to Kirie.

"Hello Tomoka!" Kirie salutes back brightly. "It's nice to see you two again. What have you two been doing?"

"Oh nothing, just grown-up stuff!" Tomoka replies as they all proceed to the living room which has been cleared of any of Tomoka's mess.

"So what brings you here?" Yukinari asks as they all sit at the living room couches. "Here to say hello?"

Koyomi, with a sudden serious look on her face, addresses them all. "We've been sent here to seek someone out."

"Seek who out?" Yukinari asks.

"Seek you out, Yukinari" Tomoka takes over standing next to Koyomi. "Due to your interactions with Miharu in the past."

"Not this again. Don't tell me Yukina's now after Yukinari!" Kirie exclaims angrily.

"We won't let her!" Lisa says equally as upset.

"No no, it's not Yukina this time. It's Miharu's older brother, Seiichirou" Tomoka finishes.

"Miharu's older brother!?" Yukinari, Kirie, and Lisa all exclaim in unison.

"That's right, her brother" Koyomi resumes.

"She never told us she had a brother" Kirie ponders.

"Tomo doesn't believe her family speaks about it freely" Tomoka says folding her arms.

"Why wouldn't they?" Lisa asked.

"That's a good question but it's not relevant to our job" Koyomi begins.

"What does he want with me? How's Miharu involved in this?" Yukinari asks firmly.

"We've done some research of our own after receiving this assignment and we've found out that Seiichirou has filed what's called an 'order of temporary detainment'" Tomoka explained. "What this is is an order that can be filed against anyone from our homeworld who is believed to be in danger of being kidnapped or lured here to Earth by exploitative or dangerous Earthlings."

"That's ridiculous! She's never been in-" Kirie begun before stopping herself as she thought back to Fukuyama's previous perversions against Miharu.

"Have either of you spoken to Miharu?" Yukinari asks.

"No" Koyomi and Tomoka answered together. "The order filed also bars people from meeting with Miharu without Mister Seiichirou's consent" Koyomi continues.

"Wh-what kind of order is this? She can't meet with people without her brother's consent?" Yukinari asks insulted. "Miharu should be free to meet with whomever she wishes" Yukinari declares. "Girls, do you think you could take me to her? To where Miharu is I mean?"

"No, Miharu is currently under house arrest" Koyomi informs. "Even though we work for the Space Travel Agency, we don't know where she resides and we don't have clearance for such information. We don't work security at the agency I'm afraid."

"What about Maharu? Does she know of this?" Yukinari asks.

"We've tried to locate her" Koyomi explained, "but she's on Earth somewhere seeking a husband herself. We have no clue where she is."

"So basically, she's being held there against her will?" Yukinari asks.

"We don't know that" Tomoka counters.

"Well that's what it sounds like! The name suggests it's temporary. Is it?"

"Yes but it is also renewable" Koyomi answers.

"So then he's able to hold her indefinitely? Take me to him, Miharu's older brother Seiichirou!" Yukinari suddenly demands.

"We're sorry Yukinari but our job is to find you, not to take you to him" Koyomi explains.

"Even if Tomo and Koyo wanted to, he contacts us and meets up with us" Tomoka said. "Not the other way around so we don't ever really know when and where to find him."

"Then I'll let him know where he can find me" Yukinari says rising up. "I'll happily meet up with the guy, if that's what he wants."

"Very well then" Koyomi answers. "We'll let him know... And Yukinari..."

"Yes?"

"We're really sorry" Koyomi said sincerely.

"It's okay. It's your job to follow orders after all!" Yukinari answered warmly.

-TRANSITION-

A knock comes at the front door of the UFC and Nina turns her head up away from the magazine in her hands. She proceeds and opens the front door to find a fit-looking fiery-headed young man standing there, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"Hello Miss Nina! How have you been?"

"Se-Seiichirou? What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't I visit an old teacher of mine?" Seiichirou asked letting himself in.

"Not if you plan on being a nuisance" Nina hissed.

Seiichirou, ignoring her, strides about the room examining the weaponry and then proceeds to the training room. He takes a deep breath, his fists at his waist.

"Wow, this place hasn't changed much!" Seiichirou says sniffing loudly. "Smells just like before too!"

"Why are you here?" Nina asked sharply.

"I was looking for a nice place to train and here I come across a familiar place with a familiar face!" Seiichirou said happily. "What's with the interrogation Miss Nina?" Seiichirou asked bothered. "Am I that much of an eyesore?" he poses to Nina.

"Yes, very much an eyesore!"

Seiichirou ignores this as he approaches and lifts a set of barbells. "Wow, just lifting this up once already gets me in the mood for a good workout!"

"Do whatever you want. Just don't bother me!" Nina says seemingly tired and sighing as she makes her way back.

Seiichirou, watching her out of the corner of his eye, says "finally, she's out of my hair!" He approaches the center of the hangar-like training room and announces "alright! I'm looking for a good fight! Any takers?" as various male club goers turn their heads towards him.

-TRANSITION-

"Well since he oddly hasn't provided us a way to contact him, ironic since he's gone through the trouble of hiring us, we'll just have to stick together until he contacts us" Tomoka declares.

"It'll be like the good old days!" Koyomi said happily.

"Oh what wonderful news! What should we do first?" Lisa said giggling.

"Shopping!" Tomoka shouts.

"For what? 'Poyon' merchandise?" Kirie teases lightly.

"Shut up boob monster! No, for grown-up stuff l-like bras and tam-"

"O-okay! I get it!" Kirie interrupts alarmed as all four girls laugh out loud.

Yukinari however begins to worry wondering what Miharu could be up to. "How could you guys be so cheery. Aren't you worried for Miharu?" Yukinari asks.

"Relax, Miharu's fine. Seiichirou's a good guy: he wouldn't hurt a fly!" Tomoka assured him.

"How would you know? How well do you know him?" Yukinari asks still worried. The girls in the room fall silent and Yukinari sits down, his worried head in his hands.

"I'm sure she's okay Yukinari" Kirie assures seated next to him. "You won't get anywhere by worrying. We'll just wait until this guy contacts Koyomi and Tomoka and we'll go from there."

"...You're right Kirie" Yukinari says as he lifts his head. "So, where to tonight?" he asks with a renewed energy as the girls around him cheer. "But first, I'm starving!" Yukinari declares rubbing his stomach and approaching his fridge. "Huh? Hey, where's.." Yukinari begins to ask as he probes the contents of his fridge or what remains of them.

"What's wrong?" Kirie asks approaching Yukinari. "Hey, where's my pudding? And my mitsumame?"

"A-and my protein drink mix" Yukinari says under his breath. "Someone drank half of it."

"I-it was the boob monster!" Tomoka suddenly shouts pointing her finger. "Her and her insatiable appetite demanded by her massive boobs!"

"Yeah right! I just got here!" Kirie says defensively. "It was definitely you short stuff! You ate the mitsumame I made for Yukinari!"

"It's your fault for leaving your food in someone else's house" Tomoka counters. "By the way, that was some of the worst-tasting milk mix I've ever drank!"

"Th-that was mine actually" Yukinari said weakly.

"And look! You didn't even bother disposing of the trash!" Kirie exclaims lifting up the couch seats and revealing wrappers.

"I-it's not like there isn't already any trash underneath!" Tomoka responded.

"Well wasn't that very grown-up of you you little brat!" Kirie snaps back.

"Feels kind of like the good old days doesn't it Yukinari?" Koyomi asks Yukinari quietly as Kirie and Tomoka continue to argue.

"Y-yeah, almost" he said gloomily seated again. "I haven't seen Miharu for so long. I just hope she's doing fine.. I mean despite her brother holding her against her will."

"How long has it been?" Koyomi asked.

"Over three months."

"Wow" Koyomi finishes as a silence grips the room.

"So" Kirie suddenly starts, "will you go after her again Yukinari?"

"Of course Kirie. She can't be happy being held against her will like that."

"You're right, she can't be" Kirie agrees despite a few worries of her own sprouting somewhere in the back of her mind.

"Enough of this worrying already!" Lisa exclaims in frustration. "Let's go out already! It's not like worrying and sulking is going to bring her back. Yukinari, this guy will surely contact us if he's looking for you so you can either sulk here and be miserable or we can go out while the going's good!"

"Yo-you're right Lisa" Yukinari says standing up again. "Grab your things everyone, we're going out!" he declares as he goes off to his room to get changed. Moments later, all five are outside at the front door dressed for a night out.

"Look out world, here we come!" Yukinari shouts exiting his house.

"Woot woot! No more worrying, let's have some fun!" Kirie announces following Yukinari's lead.

"Wait for me sweetheart!" Lisa yells walking out.

"I've always wanted to see the attractions in this town!" Koyomi said striding out of the house.

"Off we go!" Tomoka shouts into Yukinari's now empty house as she slams the front door shut. 


	13. Chapter 13

Season 3 Episode 37: Stranger in Your Bravo!

The sounds of padded fists striking flesh echoed throughout the UFC training room accompanied by the sound of a chain link fence rattling and a body striking the padded training room floor. "Come on, get up!" Seiichirou in athletic shorts, his face bloodied and his breathing heavy but his body still nimble says to the other club member lying on the floor. They are both inside the cage used by the club for matches, outside it stand several club spectators, one of them tired and recovering as he too watched on.

"Thish ish my shecond fight and I've shtill got a lot of fight in me!" Seiichirou growls hopping on his toes.

"Doeshn't look like it" his opponent says as Seiichirou stumbles momentarily.

"Nonshenshe! I can shtill go on" he declares adamantly. "Come on, get up" he commands pumping his gloved fists together. Seiichirou's opponent gets up and struggles to deliver a punch only to suffer a devastating right hook from Seiichirou's right arm. His chin whips back and he falls again onto his back.

"Th-that's game" Seiichirou declares pulling out his mouth guard and leaning back against the cage, his opponent walking out drained. "Alright... third one" Seiichirou demands breathing heavily, bloody sweat coating his body.

"You look like you've reached your limit" a tall spectator by the name of Katsuragi comments.

"It doesn't feel like it" Seiichirou dismisses.

"Why are you doing this!?" the same club member asks. "This can't be good for you!"

"I, I'm not good at anything else, that's why!" Seiichirou answers. "As for my health" Seiichirou continues steadying himself, "I, I can go for one more!"

"More nothing you idiot!" Nina disciplines approaching the cage annoyed. "Looks like you've had enough with two already!"

"No, I've shtill got enough in me for one more!" Seiichirou says holding onto the cage to maintain his balance.

"Boys, get him out of there" she commands the club members around her. Immediately, they begin to dismantle the cage and Shinichi stumbles out, a disappointed look on his face.

"You're no fun there teach" he comments under his breath.

"I think you've been punched one-too many times in the head you idiot!" Nina barked. "Now get out of here before I add a couple of slaps to your injuries!"

"Alright, alright. I'm out of here" Seiichirou says surrendering and exiting the training room.

"And stay out of trouble punk!" she shouts. "He hasn't changed a damn bit" Nina growls to herself.

Outside in casual clothes several minutes later, Seiichirou strolls observing the shops and attractions surrounding him. The same arcades and restaurants that pulled Yukinari's eyes when he sought the UFC for the first time attract his attention. People around him toss glances his way as they note the cuts and bruises on his face though he takes no notice of them in return. He concentrates solely on the fashion stores and the electronic stores, his face showing only a fleeting half-interest in a few of them. "This planet isn't too different from back home" he thinks to himself. "There's a lot of guys around though" he observes irritably as half of the population passing around him consists of males. Out of the corner of his eye he spots a book store and among the items on display at the front windows are books that are pornographic in nature albeit with appropriate censors. By the entrance also stood a vending machine stocked with adult magazines. He glares angrily at the vending machine and its contents. "If there's one thing I hate about this planet, it's the depravity of all the men. Slaves to their urges" he mutters to himself as he walks on, his hands in his pockets.

-TRANSITION-

In the middle of several tall buildings, Yukinari sported a long-sleeved dark blue shirt and his favorite khaki cargo pants. Kirie strolled next to him with skin-tight pants that reached just below her knees and a buttoned down shirt. Lisa strides next to Yukinari on the other side opposite Kirie wearing her witch outfit, the one-piece dark dress, bow atop her head, and the pentagram necklace.

"It's for good fortune" she explains as she gets skeptical looks from the others. Koyomi and Tomoka walk behind them both, Koyomi in a plain light t-shirt and denim shorts lent to her by Lisa and Tomoka in a 'Poyon' shirt and short dress.

"So girls, where to tonight?" Yukinari asks.

"The theater!" Kirie says aloud.

"The Darker Corner!" Lisa requests.

"A fashion shop" Koyomi asks politely.

"Toy store!" Tomoka commands. They all begin to stare at each other blankly but just as they are about to argue, Yukinari jumps to the rescue.

"How about we get something to eat?" Yukinari suggests swiftly. "After all, we haven't gotten anything to eat so it only makes sense. I know I'm hungry!"

"Yeah okay" Kirie agrees shortly.

"Sure" Lisa also agrees simply.

"Can't have fun on an empty stomach" Koyomi says.

"Tomo's not that hungry!" Tomoka complains. They all proceed to an adjacent building, a restaurant with large glass windows showing numerous elegant-looking, partially populated sets of tables. As they made their way in, just a street away from the group in an alley sat several trash cans.

"So.." began a blonde man by the name of Fukuyama inside one of the a trash cans, "I may have lost Kirie but I won't lose my little sister. The Fukuyama name will not be tarnished by the likes of Punynari!" he declares, his voice echoing inside the trash can. Poking his head out, the lid sits firmly on his head and his eyes peer out suspiciously towards the group. "Operation 'save my little sister' is under... Koyomi!?" he exclaims excitedly and his wild gaze grasps Koyomi's figure as she enters. "It's Koyomi!" he shouts with a perverse smile stretched across his face. "Change of plans!" he declares sticking his arms out through holes at the sides and lifting the trash can revealing his legs sticking out from underneath. "I'll kill three birds with two stones on this one!" he shouts as his legs scurry away.

"So what would you guys like?" Yukinari asks seated at a table along with the rest. They all reach for and open up large menus and hide their faces behind them.

"A chicken and fruit salad", "a turkey burger", "the soup house special" he hears called out from beneath the large menus. "Alright, we'll just wait for the waiter then and you guys read out your orders to him or her" Yukinari says closing up his menu.

"Good evening ladies and gentleman" the tall blonde waiter with a thick gray moustache suddenly announces with a deep gruffy voice and a few flies zipping around him. "What would you lovely ladies like to order tonight?"

"Yeah, I'd like a number 4 under 'burgers' with extra lettuce!" Yukinari announces absent-mindedly.

"Ahem" the waiter clears his throat. "What would you lovely 'ladies' like to order tonight?"

"Finally!" Kirie's voice rings out from behind one of the menus. "Let me get the hot-and-heavy mud wrestling threeso-wait, what the hell!?" she exclaims.

"I'll get the witch's brew special" Lisa's voice reads out.

"What the hell is with this menu?" Tomoka's voice squeaks out. "They're all the number 69! Where's 1 through 68? Where are the kids meals with the 'Poyon' toys!?" In offended defiance, Kirie slams her menu down on the table.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" she shouts enraged. "These menu items sound ridiculous! I want to speak-" she cuts herself off as she finds the waiter leaning over the table and towards Koyomi's position. Koyomi, sensing an evil and depraved presence behind her menu becomes paralyzed with fear. She sweats profusely and her hands begin to tremble.

"And what will this lovely young lady love for tonight?" the waiter asks pulling her menu away revealing her petrified face. With the quick wave of his arms, his waiter uniform shreds off and disintegrates seemingly into thin air. He hops atop the table and stretches out across it wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and pure white gloves. "How about the Kazuharu Fukuyama special, Koyomi?" he says through a wide white smile that sparkles deceptively.

"Kyyaaaahhhh!" Koyomi screams out at the top of her lungs alerting several other restaurant customers. She overcomes her paralysis, climbs atop the table unintentionally stepping on Fukuyama before hopping off and out of the restaurant.

"Aaaaahh! My manhood!" Fukuyama screams in a high pitch as he clutches his crotch.

"Kyaaahh! Someone help me!" Koyomi screams out attracting the attention from various pedestrians on the sidewalk.

"What's the meaning of this?", "what's going on?", "bunch of trouble makers" voices in the crowd say as Koyomi runs, a perverted blonde giving chase.

"Koyomi my love, you belong to me! Come and feast on my flesh! I just love the helpless type!" he shouts as he runs almost naked.

"Nnoooooooo!"

"Fukuyama you dirty pervert! Just wait 'til I get my hands around your neck!" Kirie screams chasing him through the crowded sidewalks. "Damn, where the hell is he?" she asks losing Fukuyama in the chase.

"Aaaaahhh! Someone please save me!" Koyomi screams out as she continues to run. She runs past several pedestrians, one of them Seiichirou, the fiery-haired young man who instantly recognizes her.

"Koyomi? What could she be doing?" he asks himself as he watches her running. Turning his gaze the other way, Seiichirou finds Fukuyama in his underwear running towards Koyomi. "What the hell!? Is this man preying on Koyomi? Is that what's going on?" he asks irritably.

"Koyomi my love! The more you run, the more tantalizing you get with those long exposed legs of yours! Just surrender to your natural urges and aghk" Fukuyama chokes the last of his sentence out as a vice-like grip seizes his throat.

Seiichirou grabs tight hold of Fukuyama's neck.

"L-let me go you bastard!" Fukuyama snarls out clutching Seiichirou's strong forearm, his allergy flaring up.

"Fukuyama you perverted bastard! How's about I send you to hell!" Kirie threatened catching up. "Wh-who are you?" Kirie asks finding Seiichirou holding Fukuyama by the neck.

"Fukuyama?" Seiichirou asks aloud. "I've heard of him. Some idiot pervert" he thinks to himself.

"Hey! L-let him go you bastard!" Kirie demands. Seiichirou looks at Kirie and then at Fukuyama. Surprisingly, Seiichirou then throws Fukuyama aside and begins walking in Kirie's direction.

"Get him out of here" he says passing by Kirie and he goes on walking without a second glance, Kirie and Fukuyama losing visual contact in the sea of crowds around. After a moderate walk, he passes Yukinari who is running after Kirie and then Lisa running after Yukinari, treating them no differently than the crowds walking around him.

"Kirie, wait up!" Yukinari calls out.

"Yukinari dear, let me deal with my no-good brother!" Lisa shouts.

"Hey everyone! Tomo's got short legs so wait for Tomo!" Tomoka shouts out but she stops at the sight of Seiichirou, Seiichirou stopping as well.

"Tomoka, I didn't expect to find you here of all places."

"Seiichirou!" Tomoka says surprised. "What are you doing on Earth?"

"Doesn't matter" Seiichirou dismisses already used to Tomoka calling him by his first name. "How goes the hunt?"

"Tomo and Koyo have found who you were looking for" Tomoka answers.

"Good. You and Koyomi keep an eye on him. I'll let you know when I wish to meet him. Until then, make sure to get a picture of the guy" Seiichirou says and continues on with his walk.

"Yes sir" Tomoka says obediently and she resumes her chase. A distance away, Kirie stands next to a collapsed Fukuyama as she wonders who the guy who grabbed him could have been.

"Who the hell was that!?" Fukuyama growls getting up.

"Stay down pervert!" Kirie disciplines kicking Fukuyama down and then turning her back as she begins searching for Koyomi in the crowds. "Koyomi! I've got the pervert! You can come back now!" she shouts as various people turn their heads to her embarrassment. Suddenly besides her passes Yukinari at full running speed. "Yukinari? Where's he going so fast?" Kirie wonders. Looking down, she finds that Fukuyama has long since gotten up. "Damn him! He slips by so quickly!"

"Koyomiii!" Fukuyama starts again. "Forgive me for the minor interruptions but we can start our escapades now!" he shouts running again through crowds. "Where are you my delicate flower? There you are!" he says gleefully but is stopped dead by Yukinari who stands between him and Koyomi.

"Leave Koyomi alone Fukuyama!" Yukinari demands.

"Buzz off Punynari! Koyomi and I are trying to get better acquainted!" Fukuyama boasted arrogantly.

"Then I'm afraid I'll have no choice!" Yukinari said standing his ground.

"Oh! You'll have no choice will you?" Fukuyama mocked. "Have no choice to do what, hmmm?"

"This!" Yukinari says planting his hand up onto Fukuyama's face.

"Hahahahaha!" Fukuyama laughs as his face shows no reaction. "Punynari, you don't think you're the only one who has partially overcome his allergies do you? Hahahahahaha!" Fukuyama continues his arrogantly triumphant laughter. "This wouldn't work on me twice!" Without warning however, the hand on his face summons a terrible strength that forces his face back and a foot kicks the back of his leg simultaneously. Fukuyama loses his balance and he hits the ground.

"W-what the hell!?" Fukuyama grunts, Yukinari's knee pressing down on his chest and his head now tightly pinned to the ground by Yukinari's surprising strength.

"Yukinari!?" Koyomi exclaims totally surprised.

"You okay Koyomi?" Yukinari asks successfully restraining Fukuyama.

"Y-yes... Thank you!" Koyomi said surprised.

"What the hell Punynari!" Fukuyama said as he struggled to break away from Yukinari's heavy arm. "Let me go!" he demanded. "What the hell!? Where is this monstrous strength coming from!?" he shouted in his mind. "This isn't Punynari! His grip is almost iron-like!"

"Well Fukuyama! Consider yourself lucky Yukinari got to you before me!" Kirie chuckled standing over him. "I would've mutilated you!" Kirie said with a dark malicious smile.

"I can't believe I'm related to you!" Lisa says rubbing her temple. "Hayate, Kosame!"

"Yes ma'am!" both of Lisa's servants say appearing out of thin air.

"Take the subject away!"

"Yes ma'am!" they both say in unison. Hayate shoots a dart into Fukuyama's thigh and carries the unconscious body away shortly after.

"He-hey! Not me!" Kirie says being carried away by Kosame.

-TRANSITION-

Save for the abrupt but temporary interruption, the rest of the day went on uninterrupted. The movie "Basement Dwellers" at the theater was particularly scary. Sitting to Yukinari's left was Kirie. "This is almost too much" she whispered holding onto Yukinari's arm in fright, her head tucked behind Yukinari's, one eye peering over his shoulder.

"Relax Kirie, it's just a movie" Yukinari assured as he felt Kirie's hand trembling. At that instant, a sharp sound engulfs the theater room followed by a bloody scream.

"Eeeek!" Kirie yelps tightly wrapping her arms around Yukinari.

"I swear, I can see the zipper" Yukinari whispered hoping to calm Kirie down.

"Pshht, I've summoned things like this before" Lisa, sitting to Yukinari's right, said staring in fascination at the ghosts and ghouls on-screen. "Such low-level monsters" she muttered in disappointment. Nearby, Koyomi and Tomoka hid behind the row in front of them.

"To-Tomo's not scared" Tomoka said hiding behind the seat in front of her. "Pl-plenty scarier things out there!"

"Y-you're right" Koyomi agreed recalling Fukuyama's tyranny. She then relaxed in her seat. "Th-this isn't so bad, actually" Koyomi whispered. "Are you scared Tomoka?"

"O-of course Tomo isn't!" Tomoka declared. "Tomo j-just lost something d-down here!" she explained ducking away from the film. Koyomi could only chuckle at this after Tomoka had insisted she could handle the movie.

Next came a fashion store where Kirie, Lisa, Koyomi, and Tomoka ran back and forth between different corners of the store with expressions of sheer joy on their faces. Kirie picked out a low-cut top, something she thought might impress Yukinari.

"O-on second thought, this might actually be too flashy" she thought. Kirie was in way a tomboy so she never cared too much for clothing that was too feminine. In the end, she decided to get a Devil Bats jersey, a number 21 emblazoned on the back and alongside this she got some workout shorts with a large sports bra. As a martial artist, keeping in peak physical shape was paramount. At another corner of the store, Lisa sought clothing that would go perfectly with her black magic sessions: black dresses, black gloves, black hair ornaments, black boots and stockings. Anything black she purchased. And a corset and garter belt, black ones, for when she and Yukinari, according to her, would finally get rude in between the sheets. Koyomi found various professional-looking articles of clothing and Tomoka picked out clothing a few sizes too big for her body.

"No worries! Tomo'll grow into them in no time, just you wait!" she said to Yukinari who could only admire her cocky fashion choices.

"Sure" Yukinari agreed sitting out the frenzy of shopping the others undertook. Unfortunately, not only did he pay the steep price but also as a male was left to carry the heavy shopping bags around. "Hey Kirie! You help too! You're strong" he complained.

"Make a lady carry something heavy? Have you no manners?" she remarked sarcastically offended as the other girls giggled.

"This feels a bit familiar" Yukinari thought to himself as they all proceeded to an onsen. As was planned, all the girls disrobed and entered the relaxing warm waters of the onsen.

"Oh man, what a day!" Kirie said relaxing in the hot spring.

"I can't believe they have these in the middle of this town" Lisa said sitting near Kirie. Near the two relaxed Koyomi who was busy tending to her long, soaked hair. Tomoka floated by in a similar state of bliss.

"This is great! We have this place all to ourselves!" Tomoka muttered.

"Yeah" Koyomi agreed softly as she massaged her shoulders.

"Let's keep it our secret then or this place would get more crowded" Kirie said as she and Lisa sank their bodies into the water, their joints warmed and loosened. Yukinari, in a part of the onsen reserved for males, takes a deep breath.

"I wonder when I'm going to meet up with this Seiichirou guy?.. I wonder how Miharu is doing?.. Hope she's okay" he thinks feeling the warm water around him. "Damn, I've spent so much on these girls!" he thought resentfully. "I wonder if that was part of their plan all along..."

-TRANSITION-

That night, Tomoka told Koyomi all about her run-in with Seiichirou, the guy who had ordered them to track Yukinari down. Hence, after they had both asked if they could stay, Yukinari made room for them in his house. Despite this, they didn't inform Yukinari of their meeting with Seiichirou.

Bed time came and went and the morning sun quietly rose from the east.

"Okay, see you later you two. Watch over my house" Yukinari called out to Koyomi and Tomoka.

"Yeah, sure, whatever!" Tomoka called back.

"Have a good day!" Koyomi contributed.

School was noticeably different for Yukinari. The campus troll Shinichi was nowhere to be found and as the rumors spread telling of his victory over Shinichi's tyranny, he started to receive a greater amount of respect from his classmates.

"Yukinari, good going giving that Shinichi his comeuppance!" a classmate complimented. "That was a satisfying sight! When the heck did you learn to do that!?" another classmate asked him in the middle of math class. "Ever since you beat the crap out of him, he has never harassed me! Haven't even seen him since! Thank you so much!" a tortured soul thanked him on another occasion. Yukinari could not help but be glad for them and feel a little bit of pride.

"Hey Mikako, I'm done" Yukinari says as he finishes cleaning up the chalkboard as commanded by some of his tormentors.

"Y-yeah? Th-thank you very much!" Mikako says appreciatively.

"Yeah, thank you Yukinari! You can go now!" Kenichi says politely, both his girlfriend and he watching Yukinari fearing a spontaneous reprisal.

"Sure thing" Yukinari said not really giving the irony of the situation much thought. It didn't bother him much anymore. Regardless, his time was valuable. "By the way, I've decided this is the last time I'm doing this for you guys so I guess this means farewell" Yukinari said standing at the door. Kenichi and Mikako stand stunned.

"Kenichi, say something" Mikako whispers seeking cover behind her boyfriend. Kenichi tries to say something but, taken aback by Yukinari's firm tone of voice and the tale of Shinichi getting hurt still fresh, he says nothing.

"Bye" Yukinari said and he walked off and away and though he resisted, he couldn't help but feel proud.

Similarly, his punishment during lunch didn't feel like much of a chore despite the fact that he couldn't just walk away from this task. Still, he felt bad for Kirie who served her detention after school as opposed during lunch. Yukinari proceeded to the UFC as was his daily habit though without a Lisa to accompany him. She could not since she had to meet up with her parents if she were to keep her body guards under her command. Thus, alone he proceeded into the club.

"Hey Yukinari" Nina greeted him. "No girls today? Got dumped?" she asked with a teasing grin.

"No! They're not my girlfriends!" Yukinari protested. "They're just friends!"

"Yeah sure" Nina dismissed swiftly. "Enough talk and get to working out already" she commanded whipping out and opening a magazine in front of her.

"Yes of course!" Yukinari answered back just as swiftly. He got into his uniform and entered the training room immediately hearing a commotion, the unmistakable sound of two people fighting and the sound of a chain-link fence rattling.

"Get up! You've got more fight in you!" commanded a somewhat tired voice.

Yukinari found the cage set up and within it, two combatants wearing appropriate gear, one of them wearing the club uniform and the other just athletic shorts. The one in the uniform sat up on the floor exhausted and the other stood over him triumphantly.

"Am I done already?" the man in shorts with short, wavy red hair, hair that made Yukinari think of fire, under his head gear asked disappointed.

"No no. Not yet!" the club member said getting back up in defiance.

Yukinari watched carefully wondering who the new guy was. He wasn't wearing a uniform which was odd and he seemed so intimidating walking around the cage waiting for his opponent to recover. Yukinari as was routine stretched out and warmed up jogging and lifting weights all the time distracted by the events inside the cage.

Both fighters were now standing. The club member launched more punches which connected but they didn't seem to have much effect as the guy in shorts retaliated with an aggressive right swing knocking the club member back down again.

"That'sh it. I give" the club member surrenders.

"Alright.." the man with the red hair said out of breath. "Anyone elshe? I shtill got shome in me!" he declared confidently leaving several around impressed, Yukinari among them. 


	14. Chapter 14

Season 3 Episode 38: The New Challenge Bravo!

"No one?" the flame-haired fighter asks scanning the room, his eyes sweeping once over Yukinari. "How disappointing" he says after removing his bloodied mouth guard and climbing out of the cage. "Leave it up, I'll be right back. I need a quick break" he admitted. "If there are any challengers, please enter the cage and wait for me there" he finishes proceeding to the locker rooms.

Yukinari, looking around the training room finds many intimidated faces and other potential challengers who seem undecided on whether to take up the challenge. Others, just like Yukinari, seemed fascinated by the newcomer and his eagerness to fight anyone he could find. Regardless, Yukinari resumed half-heartedly punching at the punching bag which swung minutely and then he took a break after his wrists and knuckles pained enough. He then proceeded to the barbells and began work on various muscles in his body.

Meanwhile at the lockers, after cleaning his bloodied face and drinking some water, the newcomer proceeded to one of the lockers and pulled out a cell phone.

"Hello?" Koyomi's voice answered all the way from Yukinari's home.

"Hello? Koyomi, it's Seiichirou" Seiichirou said. "I'm sure Tomoka has already told you."

"Yes, she has" Koyomi answered.

"Alright then, send me a picture of the guy" Seiichirou commanded. A few beeps later, Yukinari's face popped up on Seiichirou's phone much to his surprise. "So that's him!?" he thought intrigued. "How convenient, I didn't have to look for him!" he thought, a pleased smile stretched across his recovering face.

Back at the training room, Masashi, the spiky-haired club member who had first offered to train Yukinari, approached Yukinari who was lifting a large barbell above himself, his back to a bench.

"So, how goes the training?" Masashi asked.

Yukinari, turning his head to find Masashi, replies "oh, hey there Masashi! I'm doing alright. You know, just doing the usual 'reps'... That's the correct term right?"

"Yeah, that's the term" Masashi confirms. "So what's up with this new guy?"

"Don't know. I just came in today and I saw him fighting someone" Yukinari answered.

"Yeah, I've asked some other people and they don't know him either. Newcomer I guess" Masashi said.

"Guy's taking on the world."

"Can you believe that? He's challenging others after fighting someone else" Masashi commented.

"Yeah, I guess" Yukinari answered not entirely interested and setting the barbell on the bench stands. "So are you going to challenge him or something?" Yukinari asked sitting up on the bench.

"I don't know" Masashi said rubbing his chin intrigued. "You think I should?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure. If you want" Yukinari said.

"Alright then, I will" Masashi says optimistically. "Been a while since I've gone in there. Guy does seem pretty tough but hey, should make things interesting. Wish me luck!" Yukinari watched half-interested as Masashi fit himself into his gloves and appropriate protective gear.

"We've got a challenger!" a voice announced as Masashi entered the cage. Now the cage no longer stood vacant, Masashi stretching and flexing his muscles within the chain-link fencing. Yukinari had never seen Masashi fight anyone before so his half-interest morphed into a full-fleged fascination when Seiichirou re-entered the room and several heads turned towards him.

"Ah, a challenger" Seiichirou announced happily.

"That'sh right. Let'sh do thish!" Masashi called out back through his mouth guard, a look of readiness on his face. Everyone's view shifted towards the two combatants including Yukinari's. Seiichirou strode towards the cage and entered, both Masashi's and Seiichirou's body visibly tensing. The cage closed and the two combatants eyed each other expectantly.

"Before we begin" Masashi began, "care to introdushe yourshelf?"

"You wish to know my name?"

"Yesh, that'sh right" Masashi said.

"Firsht thingsh firsht, let'sh do thish" Seiichirou said through his mouth guard.

"No, it'sh cushtomary for two fightersh to introdushe themshelvesh to their opponentsh." Both fighters began circling the cage as they talked.

"Shaysh who?"

"Shaysh me, your opponent!" Masashi said adamantly.

Seiichirou, after pulling out his mouth guard, then announced "the names Seiichirou!" he said offering his hand.

"Seiichirou? That sounds like Miharu's brother's name, if I remember correctly!" Yukinari said surprised. "Common name I guess."

"And may I ask what your-"

"Masashi!" Masashi, after pulling out his own mouth guard, answered swiftly. He accepts Seiichirou's hand and both shake respectfully.

"Come to think of it, he does resemble her" Yukinari wondered as Seiichirou and Masashi sprung into action. "There's no way, It's just my imagination."

Mouth guards back in, Seiichirou opens up with a left swing aimed at Masashi's face which connects. Masashi's head bounces from the attack but recovers quickly and Masashi retaliates with a jab planting heavily on Seiichirou's face. Both jump back and circle. Closing the gap, Seiichirou kicks up high which Masashi dodges and he responds with a mid-kick of his own. Seiichirou catches the kick with his left hand, pulls his leg in and strikes Masashi's face with the back of his right fist. Not wasting time, Seiichirou punches again with his drawn right fist but Masashi blocks it with his left forearm. Quickly, Masashi leaps with his free left leg and kicks at Seiichirou's face freeing his right leg. Seiichirou stumbles away and Masashi lands on his back but he immediately gets to his feet.

"Surely this is another Seiichirou? He can't be Miharu's brother can he?" Yukinari asks himself. "What's this vibe I'm getting from the guy?"

Seiichirou runs and does a quick hop into the air, his body spinning, a leg stretched out striking Masashi's face making his head whip from the impact. Seiichirou lands on both feet and immediately launches a harsh clenched fist into Masashi's gut. Masashi catches the arm swiftly with both hands and then knees Seiichirou in the chest repeatedly causing Seiichirou to grunt in pain. Seiichirou grabs hold of Masashi's knee and pulls hard throwing Masashi off of standing position. His back slams the padded floor hard and Seiichirou descends down upon him intending to pin him down with one knee. Seeing this, Masashi kicks him away and he gets back up.

"It's like a gut instinct's telling me that this guy 'is' Miharu's brother" Yukinari still continued pondering as other club members watched on. "This has to be a mistake! It's too convenient!"

Moments later, after relentless attacks from both sides had been launched and sustained, both combatants stood visibly tired out and bloodied. Masashi charged now with the last of his strength swinging a right fist which Seiichirou dodges. A left fist follows which is also dodged by Seiichirou drawing his head backward and with a horrible burst of energy swings his head forward headbutting Masashi's face. Masashi falls back and hits the cage wall.

"Why had Miharu never told me about an older brother?" Yukinari still went on distracted.

Finding his chance, Seiichirou throws his heavy right knuckles aimed at Masashi's face. Masashi catches it in a show of defiance. Heavy knuckles from Seiichirou's left hand fly forward but those too are stopped. Now with both of Seiichirou's fists caught in his hands, Masashi smiles mockingly at Seiichirou and finds a tiny buried shred of energy somewhere in his body, leaps up and fires off both of his legs striking Seiichirou violently in the face. With no energy left, Masashi falls and hits the padded floor completely dried of all will or energy to get back up. Seiichirou falls back, a terrible pain pulsing in his face as he clutched at his jaw.

"Aaahh, damn!" he shouted in pain rolling around on the floor with his hands up to his face but then came to a stop. He remained still causing several on-lookers to worry but he suddenly got back upon his unsteady feet feeling his face. "Damn, that really hurt" he said as though it were no big deal. He stumbled over to Masashi whose face wore a look of disbelief.

"How the hell are you able to.. get up sho quickly?" Masashi began on his hands and knees.

"For shome reashon.. I, I relish the pain" Seiichirou said looking down at his defeated foe. "It makesh me feel alive!" Seiichirou said, small amounts of blood trailing down his face. "Need help getting up?"

"There'sh no need" Masashi said struggling to get back up to his feet. "I can get myself out" he says after spitting his mouth guard and walking out on his two feet, his hands holding onto the cage walls, his face seemingly dazed. He makes his way out and sits on the bleachers resting in the company of some of the other club members.

Seiichirou, similarly spent, did not issue any more challenges out and instead sat on the floor apparently catching his breath and cleaning his face, several club members disassembling the cage.

"Seiichirou!" a voice calls out turning Seiichirou's head up and in the direction of the sound. He beholds the sight of Yukinari standing several meters away but says nothing. "Seiichirou Sena Kanaka?" Yukinari asked.

"Yes. Who wishes to know?" Seiichirou asked feigning an oblivious smirk.

"I do" Yukinari began saying, "Yukinari Sasaki" both Yukinari and Seiichirou said in unison. "How did you-" Yukinari stops mid-sentence. "Of course, Koyomi and Tomoka" he thought.

"And what business does Yukinari have with me?" Seiichirou asked expecting an answer which was obvious to both of them.

"Don't play dumb: you hired Space Travel Agency workers to track me down and now here I am. Now you tell me: what business do 'you' have with 'me'?"

"None" Seiichirou said sarcastically.

"Don't play games with me Seiichirou!" Yukinari said agitated. "I know you're holding Miharu against her will! I want to know why you are doing so and why you have come seeking me!"

Seiichirou is taken aback. He had not expected Yukinari to know so much but he then says "that's for her dear older brother to know, not you" Seiichirou declared stubbornly.

"So then it's true: you 'are' holding her against her will!"

"No, I'm looking out for her."

"Let me see her!" Yukinari demanded.

"And who the hell are you to her?" Seiichirou demands.

"A friend" Yukinari claimed.

"And what if I say no?" Seiichirou asks.

"Then I'll find a way whether you allow it or not!" Seiichirou began to laugh amused by Yukinari's claim.

"Hahahahaha! You're going to find a way? Fight your way through Seiren forces? Surely you're kidding!"

"I've managed before!"

"Miharu is under my care. You'll have to fight me too to get to her!" Seiichirou says menacingly.

"If that's what it will take then I will!" Yukinari said confidently.

"Hahahahaha" Seiichirou laughed in fascination. "You're an interesting Earthling, I have to admit! And yes! Now you've piqued my interest!" he cheerily said standing up. "Let's cut to the chase then: one-on-one, you and I! We fight for Miharu's sake!"

Yukinari stared offended. "Her freedom is not for you to play with! This isn't a game!" Yukinari shouted turning several heads towards the conversation.

"I am 'not' playing with her freedom! I assure you, I won't lose!" Seiichirou snapped back. "I am just a man who seeks a simple and quick resolution. Be grateful that I'm giving you the chance" he finished walking towards him. "And I'll be generous: you have three days to give me a good challenge" Seiichirou said as he passed Yukinari's side making Yukinari's body tense up. "I'll give you until Saturday morning, three days from now to ready yourself for your defeat and then you will stay away from my sister... Three days: make it worth my time." Seiichirou moved towards the exit where Miss Nina stood nearby watching Seiichirou annoyed. "No need to worry Miss Nina: just making some friends" he claimed and then proceeded to exit.

Yukinari watched Seiichirou leave and then laid his eyes on Miss Nina who approached him.

"I see you've met Seiichirou" she said.

"Yes. So you know him too?" Yukinari asked.

"He was a student of mine some time ago" Nina said. "He however turned out to be an overly competitive individual, a behavior I believe he had even back in Seiren. He doesn't seem very different now, actually."

"Back in Seiren?" Yukinari voiced. "Miss Nina, you know of Seiren?"

"That's right. I've never mentioned it to you but I'm originally from Seiren. You know of Seiren too?" Nina asked surprised.

"Yes, I have friends from Seiren" Yukinari said. He then proceeded to explain to Nina how Koyomi and Tomoka had been hired to find Yukinari and about Seiichirou holding Miharu against her will and about his challenge on Saturday.

"Hm, that sounds like something he'd do: always looking for a fight. So, you've accepted the challenge?" Nina asked.

"Yes and I'm sort of in disbelief that I agreed to it so readily. It all happened so fast but as much as I'd hate to agree with him, he's right that this would be the easiest way to settle this matter."

"And if you lose?"

"Then I'll go meet her without approval!" Yukinari said determined. "I don't care about any deal: Miharu can't be happy being held captive... I hope she's doing well" Yukinari said punching the punching bag several times, loud thuds ringing out and Yukinari's fists struck the bag painfully. "Damn it! I'm just wasting time!" Yukinari said frustrated. "I need to fight someone!"

"I see you're eager" Nina says watching the frustrated expression on Yukinari's face.

"Find me someone to fight. Someone to practice with" Yukinari demands.

"Well, I think I've got the perfect candidate in mind but he just finished fighting someone" Nina says looking over to Masashi who was lying down and massaging his limbs. "Fight him tomorrow."

"But what am I supposed to do until then?"

"I have an idea but I'm going to need your friends' help" Nina says eyeing Yukinari intrigued.

"I'm not carrying anyone on my back anymore am I?" Yukinari asks skeptically.

"No, you've moved beyond that. I was thinking about doing a little more" Nina says making Yukinari a little uncomfortable.

"A little more?" Yukinari asks worried.

"Oh, and there they are now!" Nina says looking at Lisa and Kirie entering the training room.

"Good afternoon Miss Nina, Yukinari" Kirie and Lisa both said cheerily.

"Good afternoon you two" Miss Nina responds. "And what perfect timing you two have" Nina says smiling a smile that concealed a mischievous nature. "Good news Yukinari, I've got something that should hold you up 'til tomorrow!"

"O-okay then, what is it?" Yukinari asks. A few moments later just outside the front of the club, to everyone's surprise and Nina's amusement, Yukinari finds himself shirtless in front of a large wide-seat black rickshaw, Kirie and Lisa seated comfortably on it and Nina holding a piece of paper standing beside it.

"What is this?" Yukinari asks probing the small vest tied around his chest.

"Yukinari, ever wondered what it must be like to be a horse?"

"No."

"Good! This should be a new experience then and educational too! Lisa, Kirie, thank you guys so much for your help" Nina said with a grin.

"It's no big deal" Lisa says optimistically.

"For you it isn't, Lisa" Yukinari thinks to himself pessimistically as Nina's plans become clear.

"For you it isn't, Lisa!" Kirie chastises parroting Yukinari's very sentiments. "What's with this set up!? Why is Yukinari shirtless!?"

"Isn't it obvious? Yukinari's taking us on a trip! I think it's lovely being transported around by my soulmate!" Lisa said cheerily.

"And why's he tied to the rickshaw!?" Kirie demands noting the leash binding the vest on Yukinari's chest to the body of the rickshaw.

"It's to make sure he doesn't run away."

"I wouldn't run away!" Yukinari protests. "And this is like carrying someone on my back only worse! People can see who I am!"

"You wouldn't run away huh!? We'll see" Nina responds humorously. "Kirie, Lisa, here" Nina says handing over the piece of paper in her hand. "I want you to follow these short instructions to the letter! Make sure to bark the orders at him too!"

"Got it!" Lisa says eagerly accepting the piece of paper.

"Oh, and here's something to aid you" Nina says reaching into a compartment on the rickshaw. "Take this" she says handing Kirie several water bottles and Lisa a beaded black whip. "If he gets thirsty or overheated, make sure to feed him water and pour some of it on his head. Also, be sure to keep an eye on his mane! It takes a lot of tending to get it to shine like that!"

"Aren't we taking the horse example a bit too far?" Yukinari asks out loud.

"If he disobeys, whip his lower back! It's where he's exposed and it hurts like hell!" Nina says wearing a dark and torturous grin to Yukinari's horror.

"Miss Nina, isn't that go-"

"Okay you two" Nina interrupted Yukinari abruptly, "get on your way now and don't come back until you follow what's on that paper 'kay?" Nina said slamming the UFC front door shut.

"going a bit too far?" Yukinari asks himself now that Nina was gone.

"Nonsense Yukinari, it's perfect!" Lisa said hiding her giggling face behind the paper and whip. "This is almost like BDSM!" she said red-faced.

"You're getting too excited Lisa!" Kirie disciplined snatching away the paper. She glances at the paper crookedly. "What in the hell?" she muttered.

"Well?" Yukinari prompted.

"S-sorry" Kirie apologized for the delay. "Okay Yukinari, first stop, the 'Easy Greens' super market!"

"That's over 20 blocks away!" Yukinari complained. Kirie and Lisa simply stare only able to offer him looks of pity. "Alright, let's do this" Yukinari surrenders lifting up the front handles of the rickshaw. "Aaaah!" Yukinari shouts in pain from a horrible lashing, his legs pushing forward.

"Giddy up!" Lisa shouts wielding the whip. "Wow, that felt really good!" she said amorously, her face reddening again and her breathing heavy.

"Not for me!" Yukinari shouts as he pulls the rickshaw briskly forward.

"Give me that!" Kirie snaps snatching the whip and shoving the water bottles into Lisa's hands. "Cool yourself off!"

Yukinari pulled the rickshaw forward passing through busy sidewalks as his feet pushed against the concrete. Everywhere the three traveled, heads turned to witness the oddity and many others moved out of the way to make room.

"Hey there, how much from here to city center?" a man shouted from across the street.

"Put a shirt on" another stranger let out as the rickshaw pressed on.

"This is humiliating" Yukinari thought, "and tiring." The rickshaw was expectedly heavy to pull along and rattled loudly as it moved forward. Yukinari was strong and fit so for a time, he had little trouble keeping a steady stride but he was human and he had his limits. They arrived at 'Easy Greens' about 15 minutes later, Yukinari's feet and legs burning and his bare chest sucking air in and blowing it out, his face and body covered in sweat.

"Damn... so heavy!" Yukinari breathed causing Kirie and Lisa to pout at the possible implications.

"Here" Lisa said presenting a water bottle into his exhausted hands. "We're going to do some shopping: wait here Yukinari" Lisa says as she and Kirie proceed into the super market, Nina's paper in hand. With the girls indoors, Yukinari shakes his limbs loose and takes a drink of water before pouring water over his head. After this, as his head dripped with water, he takes a look at the rickshaw at first indifferently but then with a scornful gaze. Several moments later, the girls both proceeded to exit pushing a shopping cart filled with grocery bags. On their way out, they see Yukinari standing up waiting patiently but with a look of serious worry. He takes another long drink from one of the water bottles.

"Take a picture" Yukinari says in response to some of the stares he was getting. "Oh, girls. You're finished" Yukinari, seemingly recovered, said later at the sight of the approaching girls.

"Yes, we're done here" Kirie comments packing the groceries into the back of the rickshaw and then getting back on.

"Where to now?" Yukinari asks handing back his water and lifting the now-heavier vehicle.

"A wine place" Kirie said and then directed Yukinari to a wine shop still several blocks away and Yukinari simply proceeded without complaint.

"So hot" Lisa murmured admiring Yukinari's figure and earning a sideways glance from Kirie.

"Yukinari, if you want we can-" Kirie began as they moved.

"No, I'm fine!" Yukinari interrupted. His legs pushed onwards against the numbed burning pain, his arms bulging as he pulled the rickshaw forward. Kirie and Lisa found the trip a soothing novelty but became concerned with Yukinari's seeming overexertion. He was covered in sweat, breathing heavy and at some points, Yukinari stopped and fell down to one knee but he only got back up instants later allowing himself little rest. With sweat pouring and his face twisted in strenuous effort, he pushed on. They arrived at the wine shop where Yukinari sat on the sidewalk to catch his breath again, emptying a whole water bottle to dissipate the excess heat he had built up. Heavy wine bottles were cruelly loaded into the back of the already heavy rickshaw and again it struggled to move.

"Yukinari, this is silly" Kirie criticized loudly. "This isn't helping you at all."

"Let's just get this done" Yukinari answered stubbornly as the wheels rattled and the wine bottles clinked in the heavy vehicle. Yukinari's legs moved though he could hardly feel them anymore. Several times, Kirie and Lisa came close to forcing him to rest but his figure was slightly intimidating. He seemed so focused despite his tired and pitiable appearance. Before Kirie and Lisa could both muster the courage to force him to rest, they had arrived back to the UFC after about a third of an hour.

"There wasn't much on that paper" Lisa said putting the paper away.

"Yeah well, that's a good thing" Kirie said looking at Yukinari with concern. "Yukinari, are you feeling alright?" Kirie asks worriedly. Yukinari sat drained of all energy on the ground, his head bowed.

"Yukinari, are you okay? Drink some water!" Lisa insisted presenting a water bottle.

"Finally, you're here" Nina declared exiting the club. "Hey everyone, party supplies are here!" she called into the club. Immediately, several club members poured out from the entrance to the UFC, seized the items in the back of the rickshaw, directed their gratitude Yukinari's way, and carried the supplies in just as quickly.

"So? How'd he do?" Nina asks watching Yukinari empty a water bottle.

"Miss Nina" Kirie began, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't issue him such harsh assignments."

"But Kirie, Yukinari was free to opt out whenever he wanted to" Nina defended. "And this was a good way to gauge where he stood stamina-wise. He didn't disappoint!"

"But Miss Nina, it's up to you to watch out-" Lisa was interrupted by a hand grasping at her arm.

"Lisa, Kirie, Miss Nina is right. I could have stopped it whenever" Yukinari said as he shakily got back up from the ground. He removed the vest around his chest, proceeded to the UFC's front door and stopped short of entering. "Miss Nina, I've wasted enough time fetching you your things: I want to fight or I won't be ready Saturday. I need hands-on experience. I can't waste time like this!" Yukinari says firmly.

"Three days? Ready?" Lisa and Kirie wondered the same thing.

"Oh? You didn't really waste time Yukinari. You got a nice little work out out of it right?"

Yukinari says nothing and enters. He quickly proceeds to the training room.

"Fellow club members, we eat and drink to this club turning a year old" a member of the club announced handling a wine bottle. Inside the training room, Yukinari found several members seizing plates, pre-prepared food, plastic glasses and opening wine bottles, many of these things carried in by Yukinari earlier, other items brought in by others.

"Girls, care to join us to celebrate this club's first year anniversary?" Nina asks still outside, a pair of club members pulling the rickshaw away.

"Miss Nina, just promise us you'll look out for Yukinari" Kirie asked with a slight tint of anger in her voice. "And that you will not ask too much of him!"

"Of course" Nina says simply. "I promise you." Without another word, Lisa and Kirie enter and disappear into the hall inside. "Hmm, have I tapped a nerve?" Nina pondered amused entering shortly after the two girls.

Inside, everyone joined into the festive atmosphere. Everyone except Yukinari, who sat staring at the punching bag that hung heavily in front of him.

"Yukinari, hungry?" Lisa asks as she and Kirie approach him carrying plates filled with food and glasses filled with non-alcoholic wine.

"N-not really" Yukinari says, his face lost in thought but his hands accepting the food. All three sat and stared at the punching bag which hung perfectly still in place.

"Yukinari, what was that about three days and getting ready?" Kirie asks.

"I've met up with Seiichirou and he's challenged me to fight him for Miharu's freedom."

"What!?" both Lisa and Kirie exclaim.

"What kind of brother would..." Kirie starts and stops.

"I don't know but if I beat him and if he's a man of his word then Miharu will be free. I need to train if I hope to beat the guy" Yukinari explains as he eats his food, life slowly returning to his face to Kirie and Lisa's relief. "Thank you so much girls" Yukinari says. He finishes eating and sits and watches everyone else in the room drinking wine and eating away with apparently little concern for the coming days. People were busy enjoying themselves, probably too busy to consider training with Yukinari. As a result, Yukinari stood up finding nothing else to do and put his padded gloves on. He then began punching away again at the heavy bag, the loud punches ringing out as his arms swung fiercely.

"Yukinari" Nina began as she approached, "it's good to see you've recovered quickly!"

"Of course!" Yukinari said delivering several more jabs. "I'm still not sure I'll be ready though" Yukinari said with great worry in his voice.

"Don't sweat it Yukinari!" Nina said patting Yukinari on the back. "Tomorrow, we're gonna put your fists to some good use!" she said with great confidence, a confidence that helped raise Yukinari's own. "Speaking of which" Nina reinitiated before Kirie had stepped in.

"Your jabs can use some work" Kirie dared to criticize.

"They can?" Yukinari voiced disappointed.

"They're not bad" Kirie said quickly preferring not to demoralize Yukinari. "It's just that you're telegraphing your movement!.. Like this" Kirie said throwing a jab. "Don't let your elbow fly out too much! Keep your chin down too."

"Oh.. I see" Yukinari said imitating Kirie's stance and moves, his fist flying forward.

"And keep your center of gravity low Yukinari. It's harder to knock you down that way" Kirie instructed.

"Very good" Nina compliments watching on proudly. Lisa could only watch similarly. Her specialty was in dark arts rather than martial arts. 


	15. Chapter 15

Season 3 Episode 39: Bravo the Journey I!

Yukinari hated the feeling that immediately washed over him when he opened his eyes the next morning. Everyone at the club had relaxed and enjoyed their evening while Yukinari trained for about an hour, punching the heavy bag as Kirie gave him pointers. Yesterday felt like a terrible use of the short time he had to get ready for his match with Seiichirou. Now two days remained half of which consisted of more schooltime, time he could have used to prepare his body to tolerate abuse and deliver damage and to just get some experience under his belt. Looking at himself in the mirror, Yukinari did a few morning jumping jacks and push-ups before proceeding downstairs and catching the smell of breakfast. As he neared the kitchen, he could see all the girls sporting aprons, Tomoka and Koyomi hovering around the table and setting up the dishware as Lisa and Kirie prepared to carry in an assortment of breakfast dishes.

"It was a bit of work but looks like it was worth it" Kirie said setting breakfast down on the table. "Nothing like working up an appetite as you cook, mom always says!"

"Finally, Tomo can eat some grub!" Tomoka, covered in flour, sang as she whipped off her apron and took a seat.

"Good morning girls" Yukinari greets entering the kitchen and surveying his housemates.

"Good morning Yukinari" Kirie and Lisa greeted.

"Good morning" Koyomi replied.

"Morning" Tomoka finally said eyeing the food hungrily. Yukinari took a seat at the table and was served immediately by Lisa and Kirie who were wearing their aprons over their night clothes. Though he had never told them, he felt very lucky to have them backing him up and it helped him cope with his worry.

"So Yukinari, how did you sleep last night?" Lisa asked making sure to take a seat next to him.

"Fine" Yukinari said simply.

"Here you go Yukinari" Kirie says placing a glassful of Muscle-Gro protein drink next to his plate. "Yukinari, I've tasted the mix and it's not great in terms of taste."

"Oh?" Yukinari responded.

"Yeah. So I've halved the mix so that it's easier to drink" Kirie said sitting next to him opposite Lisa. "The fish should have plenty of protein so you don't have to drink as much of that mix this morning."

"Oh, that was thoughtful. Thanks Kirie" Yukinari thanked.

"Don't mention it" Kirie said.

"So you girls prepared this yourselves?" Yukinari said surveying the table top adorned with bowls of soup, soba noodles, gyoza dumplings, and platters of grilled fish. "Looks amazing!"

"Thank you love! I believe I speak for my fellow cooks when I thank you for your praise" Lisa said on behalf of her housemates.

"No, thank you! You girls must've gotten up pretty early to prepare all this" he praised.

"Yep! Pretty early and Tomo helped too!" Tomoka answered.

"I can see that" Yukinari said noting the flour in Tomoka's hair.

"It was nothing" Koyomi said. "It was the least we could do for your letting us stay over" she added.

"Don't mention it Koyomi and don't worry: this house isn't as lonely with you guys around." The girls break out into casual chatter discussing the news, school, the food, and favored songs. As Koyomi touched on her schooling in Seiren, Yukinari was satisfied just listening to the girls as he finished his breakfast and sipping the last of his protein mix.

"Hey, is that that milk mix Tomo drank before?" Tomoka suddenly asks after eyeing it a few times. "That stuff tastes gross! Are you sure it hasn't gone bad or something?"

"I don't drink it for the flavor Tomoka" Yukinari says after sipping it and grimacing slightly. "It's for my protein needs."

"Protein needs?" Tomoka squeaked.

"Oh, you girls don't know yet" Lisa says wiping her lips with a napkin. "Yukinari's been bulking up and working out his body!"

"Hahahahahahaha" Tomoka suddenly bursts out laughing. "You? Bulking up? You can't do it just by drinking a protein drink!"

"I've been doing more than just drinking Tomoka" Yukinari answers.

"That's right Tomoka! He's been training very hard and he's got the body to prove it" Lisa claims pulling on Yukinari's night shirt. "Come on, show them!"

"Lisa, knock it off!" he protested grasping at his shirt.

"What? Are you embarrassed? You should be proud now take it off! Your soulmate demands it!"

"Lisa, no means no! Knock it off!" Kirie exclaimed standing up from her seat and pulling Lisa away from Yukinari successfully.

"Damn it! I won't be denied!" Lisa said pulling out her skull staff seemingly out of thin air. "Begone cloth!" she shouted pointing her staff at Yukinari. Immediately, his shirt disappears and he is left shirtless standing by the table.

"See? See?" Lisa says pointing. "Told you!"

"Wow" Koyomi says with pink dots on her cheeks.

"Whoa, so the pipsqueak finally manned up! To-Tomo was just kidding a few moments ago! Tomo could tell!" Tomoka claims patting Yukinari's arm.

"Could I get my shirt back now?" Yukinari asks covering his abdomen with one arm.

"But Yukinari dear" Lisa said wrapping her arms around him, "the morning is so much more fun if you walk around shirtless! That and I wanna show you off!"

Noting the annoyed look on Kirie's face, Koyomi's rosy cheeks and Tomoka's false sense of being right, Yukinari grasps Lisa's shoulders firmly making her skin crawl and her heart leap. "Lisa, I need to get ready for school" he said with a glow radiating from his face. "But I need to know where you teleported my night shirt. As soulmates, you know I like to keep my clothing organized."

"It's.. in your drawer.." Lisa says blushing looking up at the love of her life.

"Thank you" Yukinari says triumphantly proceeding upstairs. The four girls watch him climb the stairs and disappear into his room, Lisa staring up at him lost in a hypnotic daydream.

"When did he learn to do that?" Kirie asks herself quietly.

"Well, that explains how he rescued me from your brother" Koyomi tells Lisa.

"Oh yeah, I saw that. Yukinari showed him!" Kirie said proudly.

"Sorry for that Koyomi. I promise I'll punish my no-good perverted brother next time" Lisa assured. Minutes later, Yukinari descends the steps in his school uniform to find Koyomi and Tomoka in the living room watching television without Lisa or Kirie present.

"Hey, where are the other two?" Yukinari asked the two Space Travel Agents.

"They went upstairs to get into their school uniforms" Koyomi said seated next to Tomoka. Yukinari took a seat next to them but not to join them in watching television.

"Girls, I've met up with Seiichirou and we've spoken" Yukinari revealed to the two.

"Really?" Koyomi and Tomoka both said surprised.

"Yes and we've agreed to fight for Miharu's sake" Yukinari said.

"Fight?" Tomoka asked.

"That's right girls, fight. I've been doing much more than just working on appearance. I'll show you girls one day what I mean but I want to know something else: how much do you girls know about Seiichirou? I mean, his relationship with Miharu and Maharu."

"Sorry, he's just another client of ours. All we know or have ever really known was what he's told us" Koyomi explained. "But if you want, we can dig some-"

"No, don't" Yukinari interrupted. "He's my problem alone."

"But we want to help Miharu too!" Tomoka exclaimed.

"You'd help me more if you didn't get involved" Yukinari says smiling warmly.

"That's no fair!" Tomoka protested. "She was Tomo and Koyo's friend too! We want to help!"

"Tomoka, if I win against Seiichirou, you won't have to do anything so just please let me take care of things. I'll win and Miharu will be free to join us here." Tomoka says nothing responding to the serious and determined expression on Yukinari's face. "Koyomi, is it possible to reach Miharu somehow? Physically or otherwise?" Yukinari asked.

"N-no, I'm sorry" Koyomi answered regrettably. "Security measures enacted by the STA are tight and don't allow any communication without, in this case, Seiichirou's authorization."

"I see... The STA doesn't kid around does it?" Yukinari commented.

"Seiren takes the safety of its residents very seriously" Koyomi defends. "Though at times too seriously. Seiren has a bit of a different culture than on Earth."

"Oh, I would know! First time I went there, I was chased by mobs of girls!" Yukinari recalled humorously.

"I'm very sorry for that" Koyomi apologized.

"Don't be sorry Koyomi. It wasn't a problem at all" Yukinari said with a chuckle. "...Don't worry girls, I'll win and I'll get Miharu back home!" Yukinari declares with confidence.

"I wish you luck Yukinari" Koyomi said.

"Tomo too!" Tomoka joined in.

"Thanks girls" Yukinari said. At that moment, Kirie and Lisa descend the stairs in their school uniforms.

"Ready to go!" Lisa declares. The two girls join Yukinari as they set off to school together after waving goodbye to Koyomi and Tomoka no differently than any other mornings. All three part ways upon entering school only to regroup during lunch when Yukinari's punishment took place.

"Hey Kirie" Yukinari salutes approaching his locker where he kept his gum-scraping tool and trash bags along with his school books.

"Hey Yukinari" she returns approaching her own locker. "How's your day been?"

"Just the usual. Boring school stuff" he says struggling to enter his combination.

"I see" she says successfully opening her locker and having a small torrent of letters fall out and down onto the floor. "What the-!?" Kirie exclaims picking up some of the letters and examining them.

"Love letters" Yukinari notices picking up a few. "Looks like you've got some secret admirers!.. Hey Kirie, don't people know you're dating Fukuyama?"

"Ehh" Kirie began uneasily, "we've broken up recently" she said almost sounding ashamed.

"Really? What happened?"

"He was a dirty pervert, that's what!" she said angrily. "..Actually, he's not that bad when he's not being a perv. There have been times when he's made me proud. And he's not bad looking either... Still, he wasn't exactly who I was looking for so I decided to break it off with him."

"I'm sorry to hear that Kirie. So are you going to give any of those letters some consideration? You've got a bunch!" he says indicating the bundles Kirie had collected in her hands. "I think that one's from Fuji! He's that guy who has liked you for a while."

"No, not at all" she says weakly. "I'm not really looking for anyone right now... Besides, it's too soon for me to get into another relationship."

"That's too bad" Yukinari says sincerely as he notices a few letters inside his own locker. "Oh crap!" Yukinari exclaims leaping a foot back.

"Oh, look at that! Looks like you've got some admirers yourself" Kirie suggests noting how some of the letters were pink and purple and had heart-shaped stickers on them. "Let's find out who they're from" Kirie says peering into Yukinari's locker.

"Uh-oh!" Yukinari distressed stepping back.

"What? What's got you so freaked all of a sudden?" Kirie inquired. "Read them Yukinari."

"But they might be booby trapped!" Yukinari warns.

"What are you talking about?" Kirie asked reaching for the letters.

"No Kirie! Don't!" Yukinari warned. Regardless, Kirie pulls out the letters without incident.

"Why not?"

"You mean they're not stink or paint bombs? Or laced with itching or sneezing powder?" Yukinari said watching Kirie handling the letters fine.

"No" Kirie quickly reveals. "People have done that to you!?" Kirie asks alarmed.

"It has happened twice before, actually" Yukinari admits ashamed.

"Bastards!" Kirie grumbles. "These seem to be perfectly safe" Kirie confirms.

"Really?" Yukinari asks incredulously. "I guess that's great then."

"You guess?" Kirie voiced. "You should feel happy that there are people who care deeply about you, you know! It's a good thing" Kirie said.

"You're right" Yukinari agreed.

"Yukinariii!" Lisa's voice sings out nearby. "Are those what I think they are?" she asks seizing the letters from Yukinari's hands.

"Hey!" Yukinari protests.

"Hussie, slut, floozy, whore" Lisa begins to list flipping through the letters in her hands. "All of them just trying to ruin our relationship Yukinari!"

"Could I have them back please" Yukinari asks politely.

"Give them back Lisa! They belong to Yukinari!" Kirie protests.

"No! These are tainted with dark magic! I can tell!" Lisa counters holding the letters away.

Yukinari seizes her shoulders again like before and stares deep into her eyes. "Lisa, soulmates like you and I could never be corrupted by silly letters. They will only help me appreciate how authentic the love you and I have if I read through a couple of them."

"Ye-yes.." Lisa says and hands over the letters as though in a trance, her face red again.

"Thank you!" Yukinari accepts them excitedly.

"He, he did it again!" Kirie exclaims in her mind. With the letters back in Yukinari's possession, all three proceed outside. As Yukinari scraped gum, Kirie read through the letters aloud.

"Hey Yukinari, just wanted to thank you on teaching that Shinichi a lesson! That was impressive!", "Sasaki, thanks for giving that bastard his comeuppance!", "Couldn't have happened soon enough!", "Yukinari, that perverted monster Shinichi always harassed us if he happened to be passing by! Flicking up our skirts! Ever since you taught him a lesson, we've never been harassed and haven't seen of his ugly face since! Thank you thank you thank you! PS: you're welcome to harass us if you want!" Kirie had little trouble reading through most of the letters, the majority of which were anonymous but one in particular which was inside a plain white envelope was a struggle to read.

"Dear Yukinari: For as long as I've known you, you always seemed troubled and downtrodden. You were always bullied and victimized by so many around you but despite it all, you endured and you maintained an aura of optimism about you that always filled me with courage..." Kirie pauses for a moment. "At one point, you decided to work towards improving yourself somehow, some way and I've found great inspiration in watching the fruits of your labor take effect in the way you carried yourself and defended yourself against your harassers..." Kirie clears her throat abruptly. "And so I just wanted to let you know that you're doing wonderfully and I want to see you striving like you are doing now towards so much more. I'm more than happy to just watch from afar. Thank you Yukinari for the inspiration you've provided" Kirie finished.

"Wow, that one felt really genuine" Yukinari praised as he continued scraping gum.

"You think so?" Kirie asked. "I think it was the best one. If you ask me that is."

"You know, these letters are pumping me up!" Yukinari said swelling up with pride. "I feel re-energized!"

"You do? I'm glad to hear that Yukinari!" Kirie said feeling a deep satisfaction seeing Yukinari upbeat. "I bet you want to meet her now eh? The author, I mean."

"Kirie, you wrote that letter didn't you?" Yukinari accused playfully.

"N-no!" Kirie blurts out blushing. "No way! I swear!"

"Kirie..." Yukinari says wearing a teasing grin.

"No!" Kirie again repeats but feeling the pressure, she fesses up. "O-okay, I-I wrote it!.." she acknowledges looking away. "I, I just wanted to encourage you some more... I, I know... It was silly of me!" Kirie said tapping the tips of her index fingers together. "But you know me! At times I'm quicker with my fists than with words" she says with a degree of remorse.

"Hehe! Hahaha!" Yukinari chuckled.

"Hmhm... Hmhmhm" Lisa joins in through a reserved giggle of her own.

"It's not funny!" Kirie objects red in the face.

"I, I'm sorry Kirie! But you should have just told me directly! There was no need for a letter" Yukinari instructed.

"But I, I wanted to make you feel as though there were more people who felt this way, not just myself!" Kirie explains. "A-and I wasn't the only one. There were other people who wrote you letters too!" Kirie reminded.

"Ye-yeah" Yukinari agrees honored. Yukinari then seeks but finds few words to say. "Actually, thank you Kirie. Your words mean a lot to me!" Yukinari says smiling in Kirie's direction.

"Su-sure" Kirie murmurs nodding weakly, little pink circles on her cheeks.

"What's the next one?" Yukinari asks.

"Oh, right" Kirie continues on with the next envelope, a black one sealed with a bright pink, heart-shaped sticker.

"Wonder whose that is?" Lisa asks aloud as both Yukinari and Kirie toss her suspicious looks. "What!?" she asks defensively.

Kirie opens up the letter and reads: "Hello my love, I want to dip you in chocolate and lick you all over..." Yukinari and Kirie blush after hearing this but Kirie reads on determined. Lisa can only wiggle her hips in excitement. "I want to worship your long hard-" Kirie stops. "I-I'm not reading this! It's depraved!" she said embarrassed. "Here, you read it yourself!" Kirie says handing the letter over to Yukinari.

Yukinari skims it. "Oh-oh man, what perverted thoughts.. I, I feel violated" he said red-faced.

"There's more where that came from my love!" Lisa said rubbing her body on Yukinari. "You can violate me all you want after I'm done violating you!"

"Lisa, please don't! Not in school!" Yukinari protests.

"But it's kinkier here! Who cares who's watching!?" Lisa suggested licking her lips.

"Knock it off!" Kirie objects pulling Lisa away from Yukinari.

"Let go!" Lisa returns angrily. "He's mine!"

"You let go of him! H-he said no!" Kirie responds still pulling Lisa away.

"Please let it end somehow" Yukinari begged under his breath, his uniform tightening under Lisa's amorous grip. Immediately, as if to answer to Yukinari's wish, the school bell signaled the end of lunch period and this seemed to have calmed Lisa.

"Oh, lunch is over" she noted releasing her grasp. "Yukinari, I guess we'll have to make love some other time. I'll see ya later" Lisa says departing to her class throwing a final seductive look Yukinari's way.

"Jeez! The nerve of her! Are you okay Yukinari?" Kirie asks straightening Yukinari's uniform.

"Yeah Kirie. Thanks." At the end of school, Kirie proceeded to her after school detention, Lisa to her appointment with her parents to keep her assistants and Yukinari proceeded to the UFC where he was sure he would meet with Seiichirou again.

"Good afternoon Miss Nina" Yukinari said entering the club.

"Oh, hey Yukinari. Masashi will be here shortly, you go in ahead and warm yourself up like usual."

"Yes ma'am" Yukinari said proceeding to the locker room.

"Oh, and Yukinari.. Don't let him get to you."

"I won't" Yukinari responded firmly. He changes into his uniform and puts his gloves on. He enters the training room and the same sound of a struggle rung out like before: the shouts of pain and the rattling of a fence.

"Give me your besht shot!" shouted Seiichirou to his challenger. Yukinari actively ignored the fight instead focusing on working on his strength raising various weights and doing several push-ups. Despite not looking, he heard the fight: punches landing, kicks flying and elbows striking. Bodies hitting the padded floor and Seiichirou's demands for his opponent to rise. Shouts of pain and effort rung out and more sounds of flesh impacting flesh echoed.

Yukinari tried to drown out the sounds by punching hard and heavy against the punching bag. He wanted the pain in his fists to grow greater than the anxiety he was feeling.

"AAaaaahhh" a voice shouted out almost making Yukinari turn his head. He could not face what was going on in the cage: he felt if he did, he'd lose confidence in himself and he knew it would take all of his strength and being if he were to hope to even survive on Saturday. He also felt that Seiichirou may try to intimidate him if he did and make him lose his nerve. Perhaps that was part of his secret: intimidation.

"Fight's done!.. Heck of a fight you gave me there!" Seiichirou, out of breath and bloodied, directed at his opponent.

"The other guy's were right!" Seiichirou's opponent said referring to previous challengers. "You're a powerhouse!"

"Yeah, thanks..." Seiichirou agreed. Immediately, Yukinari hears the sound of the cage door swinging open and the sound of people climbing out. "Alright, dishasshemble it. I've had my fill for the day" Seiichirou says and Yukinari hears people disassembling the cage. Yukinari concentrates on punching the punching bag in front of him non-stop withstanding the pain in his knuckles, his wrists, his arms, his shoulders. Every strike sent jolts of pain through his arms and he sweat profusely. Punching at the heavy bag demanded great amounts of energy and stamina.

"Is this it?" Seiichirou asked right behind Yukinari to his surprise. "Is this how you plan to train? Pathetic."

Yukinari continues as though he had heard nothing.

"Yukinari, don't disappoint me Yukinari. Surely my dear little sister is worthy of more than this" Seiichirou says mockingly making Yukinari's punching speed up and grow seemingly stronger but also more erratic. "At this rate, you'll never see her again. Perhaps I should be thankful then."

Yukinari punched and punched with tight fists harder and faster resisting every urge to spin around and lash out at Seiichirou then and there and get it all done and over with. The pain in his swollen knuckles waned ever so slightly, his veins surging with adrenaline, the punching bag swaying back and forth from the impacts. He felt rage at Seiichirou for holding Miharu up as though she were some sort of prize to be competed for.

"Earthling men, driven by lust and greed" Seiichirou said demeaningly. "It's a damn shame half the population on this planet can be such a menace."

"Why are you doing this!? Against your own little sister!?" Yukinari growled staring at the punching bag.

"What's wrong Yukinari? Have I shaken you that much that you'd lose your patience? Relax, I'll end our match quickly."

Yukinari's restraint ruptured at this and he spun around fast and hard, his swollen fist flying to the source of the aggravating voice. His fist surged towards Seiichirou's already bloodied face but immediately Seiichirou, almost as though expecting this, grasped Yukinari's forearm with his left hand and buried his elbow violently into Yukinari's stomach. Yukinari's wind exploded out his mouth and he immediately collapsed onto the floor coughing violently.

"Hahaha!" Seiichirou laughs standing over Yukinari. "Prepare yourself Yukinari, anyway you can" he says walking towards the exit.

"L-let her go!" Yukinari struggled to say kneeling on the floor.

"Give me your all Yukinari. That way, you will lose any and all resolve to see my sister ever again."

Seiichirou leaves but not before Nina throwing him a dirty look at the room's exit. Seiichirou leaves saying nothing and Nina approaches Yukinari who recovers and gets up surprisingly quickly rubbing his abdomen.

"I should have warned you about that. Yukinari, the first part of any fight is psychological: Seiichirou was fully aware of this."

"S-sorry, I'll keep that in mind next time" Yukinari said getting up and massaging his pulsating hands and arms. "It's just that what he's doing is terrible."

"Then work hard to get your friend back. Masashi's on his way, get ready" Nina informs.

Yukinari sits, catches his breath and rests his arms and knuckles. He empties a water bottle as Masashi enters the training room.

"Yukinari, there you are. Shorry for the wait" Masashi excuses himself already in his uniform and gear.

"Hey Masashi" Yukinari greets. "You ready?"

"Yeah" Masashi confirms. "Lets get the cage up then." He and Yukinari lay the floor padding down and reassemble the cage in the middle of the room and enter.

"Sho Yukinari" Masashi began as they both circled inside the cage, "Missh Nina hash told me about Sheiichirou and how he'sh holding your friend Miharu againsht her will. That'sh pretty low."

Masashi tosses a speedy right jab which Yukinari, flicking his head to the left, evades.

"I know but I have no other alternative" Yukinari responds tossing a fist. Finding an opening, Yukinari uppercuts into Masashi's rib cage but Masashi responds driving his right fist into the side of Yukinari's face. Yukinari backs away nimbly.

"Yukinari, if there'sh one piesh of advishe you should keep in mind ish that Sheiichirou'sh relentlesshnessh ish hish deadliesht weapon. When he goesh, he goesh all out."

"In that cashe" Yukinari said through his mouth guard, "I want you to emulate hish fighting shtyle ash closhe ash you can! I want to fight him so pleashe try your besht to copy him!"

"I don't know if I can do that. He'sh got hish way and I've got mine."

Masashi launches two other quick punches, the first missing, the other colliding into the side of Yukinari's face but Yukinari recovers quickly and stubbornly.

"Dodge Yukinari" Masashi instructs. "Doeshn't matter what way he fightsh if you can't dodge." A predictable fist flies towards Yukinari's face again and he evades easily but then feels a tremendous weight forcing his head to the side. Somehow Masashi had summoned his foot up and into the side of Yukinari's head. Despite his surprise and disorientation, Yukinari remains on his feet and drives his padded fist into Masashi's exposed abdomen and both break away from each other.

"Very good Yukinari" Masashi comments and he aims his fist into Yukinari's gut in a sudden charge forward. Yukinari deflects raising his knee, Masashi's attack fruitless and Yukinari again aims at his opponent's face. Yukinari swings his right only to be blocked by Masashi's left forearm. Thinking quickly, Yukinari punches Masashi's face making them both break away again. Despite connecting, Masashi seemed unshaken by Yukinari's attack.

"Damn. My attack connected but it had little effect" Yukinari thought.

"Shpeed and power Yukinari. That should go without shaying" Masashi said closing the distance and with a heavy kick, makes contact against Yukinari's chest knocking him back against the cage wall. Wasting little time Masashi pounced elbowing Yukinari in the side of the head causing him to collapse onto the padded floor.

"Damn it! What's wrong with me?" Yukinari wondered in frustration getting on his arms and knees. "I, I can't keep up!"

"Yukinari, this isn't working. You're too slow" Masashi lectured taking his mouth guard out and walking around. "Get up! Now!"

Yukinari remained on his hands and knees clenching his fists in a fervent effort. He felt weak and exposed for a brief moment and he hated it greatly. To his surprise, out of the corner of his eye he saw several people watching but none understanding what was at stake for him. Saturday would be his only chance to rescue Miharu without having to rely on anyone's help. He turns his gaze towards the small crowds and suddenly recognizes not only Nina but also Kirie and Lisa watching carefully. Their stares, a mixture of pity and worry, annoyed him. He immediately got to his feet and faced Masashi with a renewed energy which Masashi noted, an eyebrow up.

"I, I'm shorry Mashashi! Let'sh shtart over!" Yukinari asked straightening himself up, his fists up and ready to spring forward, his face organized in concentration. Masashi reinserts his mouth guard.

"Girls" Nina began saying watching from the side, "don't ever leave Yukinari's side. He's going to need your support on Saturday. Promise me you'll root for him."

"Of course" Kirie responds, her gaze not moving away from the fight. Lisa nods in agreement.

Yukinari catches Masashi's left fist and responds with a heavy swipe of his own which moved speedily against Masashi's face. This time, Masashi did not cope as well and he stumbled back. Moving quickly, Yukinari charges hoping to catch Masashi as he recovered and throws a powerful right punch which connects making Masashi's chin jerk to the side. Masashi rectifies his head and surprises Yukinari with his knee flying up against Yukinari's chin making his head whip back violently to a collection of shocked gasps. Yukinari ignores the horrible pain in his jaw and grabs Masashi's raised leg. With an incredible might he knocks Masashi off balance slamming his back loudly against the floor. Yukinari seizes the chance and pins him down and punches away with all his might at Masashi's face. Masashi wrestles Yukinari off of him after a few good punches and they both get back up to their feet shakily. The fight went on for several minutes as they both brutalized each other, punches connecting violently and kicks flying hard. Finally, after sweat and blood coated their bodies and the floor underneath, they both fall to their hands and knees struggling to catch their breaths, their bodies shaking as they struggle, their visions blurry and their limbs numbed by pain.

"Okay, that's enough" Nina announces with arms crossed. "Very good Yukinari, Masashi."

"So how has he done?" Lisa asked.

"I would say satisfactory" Nina answered. "I gotta stop him though. Otherwise he'll wear himself out before Saturday."

"Yukinari, good, good job" Masashi said dropping his body and lying down on his back to rest his exhausted self. "Damn, didn't think you had that much in you."

"Good job Yukinari!" Kirie shouted.

Everyone seemed satisfied. Everyone except Yukinari who struggled back to his legs again. "No, No! We're not done. I'm shupposhed to beat you" he said, adrenaline coursing through his veins along with a feeling of inadequacy.

"What the hell?" Masashi wondered looking up at Yukinari. "How the hell are you able to go on? I can't!" Immediately, Masashi struggles to his hands and knees and painfully stands, his knees ready to buckle from their burning numbness. "Damn! I can't go on like this" he thinks to himself still out of breath.

"If I can't beat you, I won't be able to beat Sheiichirou!" Yukinari declared approaching Masashi who was holding onto the cage. "Put 'em up" Yukinari demanded, the anxiety and pressure he was feeling only urging him on. "Shurely you can shtill go on!"

Seiichirou, not knowing what to do, puts his arms up weakly ready to continue the fight despite his light-headedness. "I can't go on Yukinari! I'm shorry.."

"No, you have to go on" Yukinari urged closing quickly on Masashi. At that moment, Nina was quick to enter the cage and, catching Yukinari by the hem of his shirt, halts his movement abruptly and, wrapping her arm around his neck, knocks Yukinari down to his back.

"Don't get carried away you idiot" Nina said coolly down at Yukinari who stared up at the ceiling which, for him, was spinning. People were satisfied by his performance and now surprised by his sudden change of temperament and renewed energy but he still felt no different. He felt a frustrating inadequacy. He still felt as though Saturday would only end in his defeat as he closed his worried and exhausted eyes. 


	16. Chapter 16

Season 3 Episode 40: Bravo the Journey II!

Opening his eyes and regaining his senses, Yukinari finds himself lying down inside the cage in the club training room. Sitting up suddenly, he looks around to find several club members going about their business.

"Good morning Yukinari!" Masashi greets cheerily. "Or rather, good evening!"

"Good evening?" Yukinari asks looking behind him where Masashi was standing by the cage. "What's going on?" Yukinari asked.

"Sleep well Yukinari? Were you dreaming?" Masashi asks as Yukinari lifts his head and notices his head gear, gloves, and mouth guard had been removed.

"Sleep? What time is it?"

"Little after six" Masashi responds.

"Six? Oh, that's right!" Yukinari says in realization. "Masashi! Masashi, are you okay?" Yukinari asks with a guilt in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay... About what just happened during our match... I'm sorry! I got carried away!" Yukinari apologizes sincerely. "I, I don't know what got into me! I, I was just feeling so frustrated!"

"It's okay man. I understand: you know, about your fight with Seiichirou and such" Masashi returns. Yukinari felt relieved.

"Where's Miss Nina?"

"She's in the entrance room. Anyways, we should be getting home. It's getting late" Masashi observes looking around.

"Right" Yukinari agrees. "And thank you for your help!" Yukinari says walking out the cage and extending a hand.

"Not a problem! And good luck!" Masashi said accepting the handshake. Proceeding to the entrance room, Yukinari finds Nina, Kirie, and Lisa just finishing up a small but seemingly urgent discussion.

"Oh Yukinari, you're up! How are you feeling?" Nina asked.

"I'm feeling okay... And I'm ready to go home" Yukinari responds walking towards the exit.

"That's understandable" Nina said.

"Yeah, we've done enough today" Lisa said, Kirie nodding in agreement.

"By the way" Yukinari asks stopping with one foot out the door. "How did I do?"

"Yukinari, you did well, don't worry about it. You just come back tomorrow and we'll continue your preparation. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Thank you Miss Nina and good night."

"Good night Yukinari" Nina returns grinning and Yukinari exits, Kirie and Lisa in pursuit. Their walk home was quiet but all three retain worries in their minds. Yukinari still worried of his readiness to go one-on-one with someone as experienced as Seiichirou. Kirie and Lisa, on the other hand, worried about what might happen if Yukinari and Miharu were to meet again though they kept such a worry to themselves...

The next morning was typical. Yukinari woke up and counted down the days left which were now down to one and he proceeded to breakfast. The girls at his table all chatted as usual and Koyomi and Tomoka spoke excitedly of Miharu's return which made Yukinari feel only more pressure to deliver Seiichirou's defeat the coming day. Shrugging the pressure off as best he could, Kirie, Lisa and he all breezed through school and soon all three proceeded together towards the UFC.

"Kirie, don't you have after school detention?" Yukinari asks Kirie walking beside him.

"I'm ditching it" Kirie admits. "I know I'll only get more detention but I have to be there for you Yukinari. This is just too important."

"Kirie" Yukinari says impressed. "You didn't have-"

"I wanted to" Kirie interrupts.

"And Lisa?"

"Screw the appointment with my parents. I can go days without any body guards. I want to be there for you too Yukinari!" Lisa declares adamantly.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Yukinari says swelling with appreciation and all three proceed to the club. Entering the club, they find Nina at the front counter.

"Hey Yukinari, Kirie, Lisa" Nina greets them as they enter. "Seiichirou is fighting some other members right now. He'll be done soon: just don't let him get to you okay? He does what he does to intimidate you."

"This time, things will be different" Yukinari assured and he proceeds to the boys lockers. He enters the training room out of his school uniform and in his club uniform and gloved knuckles. Inside, as expected he finds Seiichirou sparring intensely against a repeat challenger surrounded by a number of spectators.

"Is that him?" Kirie asks pointing at the shirtless fighter inside the cage.

"Yes" Yukinari answers. "The one with the red hair."

"So that's Miharu's older brother? He's the guy that grabbed Fukuyama the other day!" Kirie recalled. "What are the odds?"

Yukinari, instead of ignoring the fight like he had done before, pays close attention. He watches Seiichirou's movements which were fast and overflowing with energy.

"Shtill not good enough!" Seiichirou shouted plunging his arm into his opponent's abdomen. His opponent, a club member with a shaved head, try as he might to tolerate the force of Seiichirou's attack, collapses onto the floor, his bloody and sweaty face grimacing harshly.

"Damn it! How!?" the challenger grunted on the floor.

"Power" Seiichirou said simply falling down to his hands and knees, his face sweaty and bloody also.

"You're looking pretty shpent yourshelf though" the challenger commented drained of energy. "And I landed a few on you too!"

"Even I have my limits" Seiichirou repeats spitting out his mouth piece and catching his breath. "But you won't find another like me! I assure you... Now get out. This fight is done... Okay everyone, you can take this cage down" Seiichirou commands.

"Hehe, cocky bastard" the challenger mutters. He exits as various club members conclude bets.

"No! Leave it up" Yukinari commands loudly turning a few heads around the room his way.

"Oh, but our fight isn't until tomorrow!" Seiichirou said pulling himself up after removing his mouth guard.

"I'm well aware of that Seiichirou. Rest assured I'm well aware of that" Yukinari says as he began lifting a weight in his left arm.

"You won't be ready by just lifting weights Yukinari" Seiichirou continues exiting the cage.

"We'll see" Yukinari says trying to remain calm understanding that Seiichirou was looking to get under his skin.

"Miharu won't ever see you again if you just weight train. This is pathetic!" Seiichirou observes with a calm but arrogant voice.

"Hey you! How's about-" Kirie growls but she quiets herself instantly when Yukinari raises a hand to her.

"We'll see" Yukinari repeats remaining calm but feeling a rage welling up inside him, both at his concealed frustration and anger towards Miharu's brazen older brother.

"Indeed we will see. This your punching bag?" Seiichirou asks approaching the punching bag and punching it mightily causing a loud pounding sound and making it swing noticeably back and forth farther than Yukinari had ever managed, "...We will see. We will see what good merely punching a simple bag has done."

Yukinari's anger drains and again he feels sick to his stomach. His grip tightens on his dumbbell and he watches in frustration as Seiichirou, who was not much more muscular or taller than Yukinari, proceed to exit, Nina again observing from the room's entrance.

"Seiichirou" Yukinari began firmly without fear in his voice, "you seem to dislike Earthling men but rest assured: despite what twisted opinion you may hold about us, this man 'will' see your sister Miharu again and it will be 'you' who will never see her again because no worthy brother would ever hold his little sister captive against her will. How she could ever even be related to you is beyond me! Miharu deserves a hundred times better than ilk like yours!"

Seiichirou stops in his tracks as though snagged by an invisible rope. His body tenses and his head turns slowly towards Yukinari. Looking at his face, Yukinari sees Seiichirou's face disfigured by a horrible fury. Immediately, Yukinari understood that he had hit a few nerves somehow.

Seiichirou without warning charges full-force towards Yukinari, a lethal expression on his face. "Let's hear you say that again!" Seiichirou shouted drawing back a deadly fist and unleashing it full force aimed squarely at Yukinari's face. Both Kirie and Lisa move instinctively to stop Seiichirou but before they could intervene and before Yukinari could rid himself of the weights in his hands and react, a swift hand catches Seiichirou's balled fist stopping it cold. Nina's hand grasped Seiichirou's and she pulled Seiichirou's arm hard and away from Yukinari.

"Seiichirou! Calm yourself you idiot!" Nina barked.

"You don't know a damned thing! Don't speak of me as if you know me!" Seiichirou spat enraged. "I swear I will pummel you! Just you wait!" Seiichirou threatened. "Tomorrow Yukinari! We decide it all!" he continued as Nina dragged him by the arm away from Yukinari.

"Knock it off!" Nina demanded punching Seiichirou in the stomach causing him to fall to his knees, his arm still detained. "Calm down and get out of here" Nina told him calmly. Seiichirou, somehow seemingly soothed by Nina and catching the breath knocked out of him, stands up calmly and leaves the room without another word or glance at Yukinari or anyone else.

"Wh-what was that all about!?" Lisa asked shocked standing near Yukinari.

"Not a clue" Yukinari answered watching the punching bag as its swinging slowed down but continued nonetheless.

Yukinari put his dumbbells away and approached the punching bag steadying it and punching it with all his might trying to replicate the effect Seiichirou's punch had had. Winding his fists behind him and unleashing them, he pounds the bag as hard as he could several times with both hands ignoring the jolts of pain. Though he made the loaded punching bag swing further than before, it was not the same as the results Seiichirou had achieved with just one punch.

"I'm sorry Yukinari. Seiichirou is quite competitive as I'm sure you could tell" Nina apologizes.

"That's okay, it's not your fault. I'm the one who pissed him off... But why did he react so angrily?" Yukinari asked Nina.

"He's an idiot with a short temper and an adrenaline junkie. Let's leave it at that" Nina answers dismissively.

"Oh..." Yukinari said feeling as though there were more to Seiichirou's reaction than he could discern. "Who do I fight next?" Yukinari asked massaging both his gloved knuckles.

"You'll see" Nina said. "You just get in the cage and wait."

"Just make sure he's a capable fighter Miss Nina. I need to improve!"

"Oh, this fighter is fully capable. Just you wait and see" Nina thought heading towards the lockers.

Yukinari entered the cage with head gear and mouth guard equipped, wondering who he would fight next. Feeling a pressure to improve himself drastically in this last chance to ready his fighting abilities, he lies down on the just-cleaned padded floor inside the cage and relaxes himself through light meditation.

"Okay Yukinari, calm yourself" he thinks as adrenaline begins to infiltrate his veins, his heart beating briskly. "My last chance before the main event. Relax yourself" he says, hands shaky. The sound of the cage door rings out suddenly and an unknown person steps in.

"The name'sh Yukinari. Nishe to meet you" Yukinari greets, his eyes still closed, back flat against the floor.

"Nishe to meet you Yukinari" a familiar voice responds.

"That voice!" Yukinari thinks sitting upright and looking at his opponent to his great shock.

"My name'sh Kirie Kojima" Kirie in the club uniform answered wearing gloves, head gear, and a mouth guard.

"Kirie!? What are you doing!?" Yukinari asked wide-eyed and shocked.

"I'm your next opponent. Get up!" Kirie demands as she closes the door to the cage.

"Get up Yukinari and don't hold back. Kirie can take it" Nina instructs Yukinari observing from in front of the bleachers, Lisa seated next to her. Yukinari gets up but keeps his hands at his sides. He eyed the intimidating figure that was Kirie as she tightened a glove and making sure her head gear was securely fastened.

"I can't hit you Kirie! I could never!" Yukinari protests.

"But you're going to have to if you're going to reshcue Miharu" Kirie counters.

"You want to win don't you Yukinari!?" Nina emits loudly. "Kirie's gonna help me see if you're ready or not! So no complaints!"

"If you shay so but..." Yukinari thought to himself sizing up Kirie on the opposite side of the cage. "I don't know if I can go all out againsht her..."

"Put them up Yukinari" Kirie commands. Yukinari hesitates. "Do it Yukinari! You're not the only one who wantsh to know how much you've changed!" Kirie says letting Yukinari know this bout meant something to her too. At that instant, Yukinari couldn't help but remember...

-flashback-

"Give me that ball! We want to play!" shouted the girl snatching the ball away from a short blue-haired boy in the middle of an elementary school playground.

"He-hey! Give that back!" the puny boy whined reaching for the ball held away from him.

"Back off Punynari!" one of the girl's friends snarled shoving him down onto the ground. "Might makes right! It's our ball now!"

"Nyah nyeah ni nyah nyah" both teased as Yukinari lay sitting on the ground completely humiliated and almost near tears. "Hahahaha" the girls laughed turning to walk away when a palm came flying out of nowhere slapping the face of the girl who was holding the snatched ball.

The palm belonged to a brunette girl who was quick to voice her demands. "Give that back!" she shouted and wrestled the ball away. Immediately, all three broke out into a scuffle, slapping and scratching at each other and screeching insults most would not expect to hear from elementary school children. Despite being outnumbered, the brunette seemed to hold the upper hand the entire time even using the ball cleverly as a weapon.

"Hey, hey!" shouted a playground attendant. "Knock if off you three!" he shouted pulling them apart. "You two, picking on your classmates again are we?" he said looking down at the girls who had teased Yukinari.

"Kirie started it!" one of the girls shouted pointing her finger at the brunette.

"No I didn't! They snatched the ball from Yukinari!"

"Yes, it's always the other person who starts it when it comes down to you two isn't it?" the attendant said unconvinced. "Okay, off to time out for the two of you!" he said dragging the two girls away.

"But what about her?" wailed one of the girls referring to Kirie.

"I was watching the whole thing! She stood up to you two bullies! Now off to time out" he said dragging them away and out of sight, Kirie saved by her good reputation.

The brunette, Kirie, walked over to the ball, picked it up, and handed it to Yukinari who was still on the ground, a look of relief on his face.

"Sorry about that" she said as Yukinari stood up. "The instant I leave your side is the moment they prey on you! Jeez!"

"Thank you, Kirie" Yukinari murmured shyly looking down at the ball in his hands.

"Don't mention it" she said smiling warmly. "So? Let's play!" she declares, her eyes lighting up.

Moments later, Yukinari and Kirie smacked the ball back and forth between themselves and a wall. This goes on for 10 minutes before they both take a seat on a playground bench with juice boxes Kirie had fetched for both of them in hand, their feet barely reaching the ground underneath their seats.

"You know Yukinari, you should learn to stand up for yourself. You can't just give up and sulk."

Yukinari, ashamed by his inadequacy, tightens the grip on the ball under his arm. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. That won't get you anywhere" Kirie says sipping her juice box. "You should try to stand up for yourself or else you'll never know if you were able to do it! You should have followed the girls and taken the ball by force!" Kirie said, a fire in her eye.

"...O-okay..." Yukinari says passively.

"You don't sound very convincing" Kirie comments.

"I-I'll try" he says forcing a bit more confidence into his voice before taking a drink from his juice box.

"That's more like it!" Kirie praised. "...Now if only you'd tried a little harder moments ago..."

"Yeah" Yukinari agreed.

"Relax, there's always next time" Kirie said. "Not that I want it to happen again!" she was quick to make clear. "Just saying, if it happens again, make sure to stand your ground! May I?" Kirie asked indicating the ball. Yukinari handed it over and Kirie began smacking and kicking it back and forth energetically. Yukinari was satisfied with watching her as she punched and kicked the ball hard against the wall only to intercept it as it bounced back speedily. For good reason, he couldn't help but feel glad she was on his side.

-end flashback-

"What'sh wrong Yukinari?" Kirie asked shaking Yukinari out of his brief nostalgia. "Do I intimidate you?"

"No Kirie. You don't" Yukinari responds and with less hesitation, he finally puts his hands up.

"Give 'em hell Kirie" Nina says taking a seat.

"Good luck Yukinari!" Lisa lets out excitedly.

"Okay Yukinari, I'm not holding back" Kirie said cracking her knuckles.

"I wouldn't want you to Kirie" Yukinari answers.

"Good!" Kirie shouts charging forward and aiming a punch at Yukinari's face. Yukinari sidesteps her easily and Kirie lands with her arm outstretched.

"You're going to have to do better than-" Yukinari gets interrupted by a powerful spinning kick flying up into Yukinari's chin. Yukinari's head whips up and he stumbles back but maintains his balance. Kirie does not waste time and charges at him with hands tucked under her. With great power she strikes Yukinari's face with one palm and with a balled fist, pounds his abdomen robbing him of his breath.

"Learn to act and think at the same time Yukinari" Nina shouts into the cage.

"Damn! Kirie, what power!" Yukinari thought to himself coughing, his back to the cage.

"Yukinari, you have to dodge otherwishe I'll hurt you terribly" Kirie said assuming a stance, her left open palm stretched out in front of her and her right fist tucked into her chest.

"What's with that?" Yukinari thought grabbing at his stomach. Noticing the inquisitive look on Yukinari's face, Kirie removes her mouth guard and delivers a quick lesson.

"Yukinari, open palms for striking hard parts like jaws and other bones. Break a creep's clavicle and you're almost guaranteed a win. Fists for striking soft parts like the stomach, kidneys, or neck. You maximize damage to your opponent and minimize damage to yourself this way" Kirie instructs. "It was one of the first lessons I ever learned. I've never forgotten it since" she finishes and then reinserts her mouth guard. "Take it to heart."

"Unlike you or Seiichirou, Kirie's definitely no amateur" Nina directs at Yukinari. "Be careful."

Immediately, Kirie closes the distance and drives her fist forward predictably. Yukinari dodges successfully but is struck by Kirie's follow-up kick. With a quick low kick crashing into Yukinari's thigh, she knocks him down onto one knee. She quickly hooks her opponent straight in the gut while he tried to maintain his balance.

"GAaaahhh" Yukinari coughs out trying to endure the pain from Kirie's fist. He had been struck by Kirie before but it had never hurt like this. Yukinari understood now that his childhood friend truly meant business and that she wasn't holding back. Kirie withdraws her fist and backs up.

"Get up!" Kirie demands in stance. "You're holding back Yukinari, I can tell! Fight back! Take a shwing at me! Get me back for all the timesh I've hit you!"

Yukinari recovers quickly and stands in active defiance looking into Kirie's eyes. Though they were the same eyes that looked at him warmly during their childhood, these eyes, once filled with sympathy and a desire to protect were now filled with both focus and aggression.

"I'm shorry Kirie for taking thish lightly" Yukinari says back on his feet.

Kirie dives forward swinging both palms at Yukinari's head but Yukinari dodges them skillfully pulling his head away. He sidesteps one of Kirie's kicks but not without failing to appreciate how fast Kirie could send her foot flying upwards, parries Kirie's incoming punch and with a swing of his own, nearly lands his knuckles on her head but she jumps back at the last second creating distance between the two.

"Very good Yukinari. That's more like it" Kirie says admiring how close Yukinari's fist had gotten. Both again close in. Kirie rapidly extends an open palm taking aim at Yukinari's nose. Yukinari ducks, swipes Kirie's arm away and nearly lands a swift uppercut pointed at Kirie's jaw. Kirie backs away and begins to circle, Yukinari does the same. Kirie, seeing an opening, charges and feints a clothesline. Before she could finish her feint, Yukinari tackles the clothesline catching her arm and pulling Kirie down onto the floor. Holding her down, he punches her once in the stomach but that's as far as she lets him go. Withstanding the attack, she seizes his own arm and with great flexibility, bends her leg, her foot in position, and kicks up hard and fast against Yukinari's exposed face.

"Aaaah!" Yukinari shouts backing away. Kirie quickly gets back up on her feet rubbing her abdomen.

"Not bad" she mutters, "but I'm willing to bet you can hit harder than that."

"That really hurt" Yukinari returns rubbing his face and feeling a small cut inside his lip.

"Don't let it bother you too long!" Kirie says rushing Yukinari's position. She launches a palm at the end of her lunge, Yukinari intercepts her attack grabbing hold with both hands. He pulls her in elbowing her in the face. "Kyaaaa" she lets out and quickly retaliates with a backhand and a kick releasing her arm from Yukinari's grip. Kirie then unleashes a flurry of blows. The first and second connect. The third clips Yukinari in the cheek as he backs away to give himself some room. Yukinari swings his leg aiming for Kirie's hip. She's hit but she catches his attack as he withdraws his foot and flicks his leg up hard and fast dropping him onto his back. She pins him down this time and resumes her blows. Her knuckles strike his face a few times before he manages to push Kirie off.

"C'mon Yukinari!" Lisa cheers. Yukinari swiftly pins her down again, he too unleashing a fair share of punches. Kirie covers up with both arms, a few of Yukinari's swings breaking her block and hitting her head. Kirie does not allow her predicament to last: at the cost of a few blows, she manages to knee Yukinari in the stomach and get him off.

"Will you look at the two go?" Nina whispers to Lisa as Yukinari and Kirie continue a brutal struggle.

"Haaaaaaa!" Kirie roars tackling Yukinari into the wall of the cage. His back hits the fence, Kirie shoving her palm into his face several times. Yukinari bear hugs Kirie picking her up and carrying her for an instant. "Yu-Yukinari!?" Kirie breathes, some red on her cheeks before he slams her down to the padded floor and reminding her that this was a fight. For a brief instant, a drained Yukinari stands above a tired Kirie poised to deliver more damage. In that instant, as Kirie looked up at him, he looked very valiant and threatening, a sight Kirie was not used to seeing. She does not look for long and rolls away getting to her feet. She wipes some blood off the corner of her lip and Yukinari feels blood slowly leak from a nostril. Both stand at opposite ends of the cage eyeing each other and refilling their lungs with air. Aside from the blood they could both taste in their mouths, they could see cuts and bruising on each other's faces, their hair moist with sweat. Having caught their breaths, they go back to swinging and punching each other. Yukinari lands a hook but misses a few jabs, Kirie's speed too quick. These successes do not go unpunished. After Yukinari misses a wide swing due to Kirie's quick duck, she nails the side of Yukinari's head with a fast diagonal. Yukinari stumbles back, his head recoiling and rattled but he quickly recovers and meets Kirie's pursuit and high kick with his forearm. Neither give any quarter or pull any punches. Though Yukinari had a slight edge in terms of strength, Kirie had speed. Regardless, this was not a bout to declare a victor but rather for Nina to watch Yukinari's performance. Yukinari lands a heavy fist into Kirie's stomach and she backs away. She dodges the next swing and during an opening, she lands a knee followed immediately by a high kick against Yukinari's abdomen and head respectively right before Nina had finally decided to halt the fight.

"Bravo you two!" Nina finally declares, Yukinari and Kirie standing exhausted in the cage. "I've seen more than enough." At this, Yukinari collapses down to sitting position to catch his breath. Kirie, similarly spent, walks over to Yukinari and falls to her knees by his side.

"Kirie?" Yukinari mutters curiously as he finds Kirie's face had softened back up, her eyes filled again with the same sympathy and protective compassion of long ago.

"Are you alright Yukinari?" she asked through a tired smile. Yukinari looks back at her for a moment, her question one he himself was about to ask her.

"I'm fine Kirie! How about you? I didn't hurt you too bad did I?" he asks worried.

"I'm better than okay! I'm proud!" Kirie said joyfully. "I'm sho proud of you!" she repeats wrapping her arms around Yukinari in a tight hug.

"Kirie?" Yukinari breathes feeling mystified and slowly wrapping his own arms around her waist.

"Okay you two, the fight's over!" Nina jokes walking into the cage. "You don't want to wear yourself out a day before the fight now do you?"

Author commentary: As I was writing this episode, I changed a previous line which read:

-"But you're going to have to if you're going to shave Miharu" Kirie counters.-

into something not as humorous which is in the story. I found it funny so I've left it in as a blooper! Thank you everyone who has read up to this point! :D Also, please leave reviews and feedback otherwise I won't know if I'm doing a good or bad job! 


	17. Chapter 17

Season 3 Episode 41: Moment of Bravo!

"Again" Yukinari had said as he stood up inside the cage, pulling Kirie up with him.

"Again?" Nina asked in surprise.

"Again" Yukinari repeated. "I don't feel like that was enough Miss Nina" he reasoned.

"Are you sure that's wise? You're roughed up as it is, I'm sure" Nina said scanning Yukinari. "You don't want to wear yourself out a day before the real thing do you?" she said.

"But-"

"Yukinari, you need to save your strength" Nina said. "I would recommend it. Strongly."

Yukinari, seeing reason in Nina's words and after receiving a warm, encouraging smile from Kirie, walks out of the cage with Kirie right behind him. Both he and Kirie stumble over to the bleachers where they sit and begin their recovery.

"Here you go Yukinari" Lisa says handing him a water bottle which is quickly emptied. Yukinari, after spitting out his mouth guard, drinks half of it and pours the rest over his sweaty body and cut face.

"Thank you" Kirie thanked as Lisa hands her a bottle too.

"Miss Nina, do you think I'm ready?" Yukinari asked.

"As ready as you'll ever be, on such short notice" Nina answers simply. Though her voice was calm and confident, Nina had not said 'yes' but Yukinari said nothing. "Get home Yukinari and get your rest. You're going to need it" Nina instructs and she walks off to the entrance room. Yukinari, heeding Nina's words, proceeds to the lockers and after cleaning himself up further gets back into his school uniform.

"Goodbye Miss Nina. I'll see you tomorrow" Yukinari says waving goodbye, Kirie and Lisa following suit. Nina waves back and they exit through the front door.

"Are you feeling okay Yukinari?" Kirie questioned walking alongside her blue-haired friend. "I didn't hurt you too bad did I?"

"No Kirie. Not at all" Yukinari assures. "What about you Kirie?"

"I'm fine" Kirie said. "B-but you put up a heck of a fight Yukinari. Had it gone longer, not sure if I would have been able to keep up!" Kirie was quick to add to encourage Yukinari.

"Thanks Kirie" Yukinari said. "I can't help but be worried sick though: I don't know if I have it in me to beat Seiichirou."

"Miss Nina seems to believe in you" Lisa reminds Yukinari. "And I believe you can do it too!" Lisa says wrapping her arms around one of Yukinari's.

"Yeah. That Seiichirou guy's not that tough!" Kirie said hoping to boost Yukinari's sagging morale. Regardless, she could still see great worry on Yukinari's face. "You know what you need? Some food. Let's hurry home and you'll get something to eat and feel a whole lot better! I promise" she assures.

"Okay, let's go" Yukinari agrees feeling famished. All three arrive at Yukinari's home where, after eating a much-needed meal, Yukinari entered his bath to relax the soreness he felt in his limbs and hopefully the worry in his head. Though he climbed out refreshed, he still felt the worry nagging at him. Going off to bed became a challenge and falling asleep was impossible. He still felt as though he had not done enough to prepare and, for some reason or another, he felt Miss Nina had not been taking his upcoming bout seriously. Dismissing this suspicion as paranoia, he finally admitted to himself that worrying would not do anything but discourage him and he eventually fell asleep.

In an instant, he opens his eyes to see the ceiling of his room lit up brightly by the Saturday morning sun. It calmed him though he recalled that this morning belonged to the day when he was to fight Seiichirou and see Miharu again if he wins. It has been over three months since he had last seen her and he wondered what she might look like now. Might she have shorter or longer hair? Could she have gotten taller? What would she think of him and the things he's done since their break-up? He found it easy to imagine her surprised face at his new and improved self and then he imagined bringing her home where she would ask what there could be to eat and he smiled. It reminded him of the good old days when all was 'rainbows and sunshine'. He halted his imagination however when there still remained one major obstacle in his way: Seiichirou, Miharu's older brother who for whatever reason was holding her captive under some sort of detainment order, the specifics of which Yukinari cared little for. He gets up and out of bed, stares at himself in his mirror and surveys himself looking for evidence of his readiness. He finds very little but his sleep was too refreshing to allow it to get to him too much. He gets dressed and proceeds to breakfast prepared for him by two lovely girls, Kirie and Lisa and provided wonderful company by them and his other friends Koyomi and Tomoka.

"Good morning Yukinari" the girls greeted from the table.

"Good morning" Yukinari greeted back as he joined them, breakfast set atop the table.

"Sleep well?" Kirie asks.

"Yeah" Yukinari answered.

"That's good. You feeling ready I hope" Kirie said.

"Yes, I feel ready" Yukinari said putting on a brave face. "How long until-"

"One hour" Lisa answers.

"Damn, one hour" Yukinari repeats with a sigh.

"You almost overslept" Lisa notified. "I was about to go wake you up myself sleepyhead" she said with a lascivious grin.

"Thank goodness I woke myself up then" Yukinari said, a bead of sweat on his temple. "Koyomi, Tomoka, I'd like to take you girls to see the UFC. Interested?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful" Koyomi answered politely.

"Sure" Tomoka answered simply.

"Good but I should warn you that I'll be fighting Seiichirou there, your client."

"We understand" Koyomi says apologetically.

25 minutes come and go as they all chatter away over the breakfast table, an activity that helped Yukinari relax. At the end of this, they all get ready and set out for the UFC. Yukinari leads the way, Kirie with a look on her face as though she herself were mustering up courage, Lisa behind her looking similarly worried about coming events and Koyomi and Tomoka walking together wondering about things to come at this 'UFC' place.

"We're here" Yukinari announces at the foot of the UFC. Looking at it, he feels an incredible pressure emanate from the building and feels as though it were bearing down on him. He does not allow the feeling get to him however and all five enter the building, Yukinari leading them inside where they all meet Nina sitting behind the front counter, her face behind a book.

"Yukinari, welcome. I see new people in your company" she says smiling at Koyomi and Tomoka.

"Girls" Yukinari directs at the two Space Travel Agency workers, "this is Miss Nina." Nina introduces herself and Koyomi and Tomoka respond politely in turn.

"Okay Yukinari, enough talk. Hit the lockers and get suited up. Everyone's waiting!"

"Y-yes ma'am" Yukinari responds flinching at her last line. "Girls, please head for the training room. I'll be there shortly" he instructs his four female friends, two of which are scanning the weapons mounted on the walls. Lisa leads Koyomi and Tomoka into the hall leading to the locker rooms and training room, Kirie following behind. Nina and Kirie's eyes meet just as Kirie enters the hall, Nina beaming at her as though wishing her luck.

Yukinari, seated in the boys locker room digs into his locker and pulls out his mouth guard which he fits into his mouth. He pulls out his black punching gloves with jittery hands and puts them on. Finally, he pulls out his head gear but places it next to him on the bench. Feeling a sinking feeling in his stomach, he holds his head in his hands and breathes deeply trying to calm himself down. "They'll be watching" he says to himself referring to his friends and the people who have helped him to improve himself so much. "This could be my only chance" he thinks though he also ponders rescuing Miharu himself if he were to lose but this may mean seeking other people's aid, something he dreaded having to do again. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered freely and he rubbed his temples. His skin went pale as he began a light meditation in an attempt to soothe his nerves, breathing in and out therapeutically. "Damn" Yukinari mutters feeling the pressure and remained this way for a long moment.

"Not feeling up to the task Yukinari?" a soft, compassionate voice asked from behind Yukinari to his great surprise. Recognizing the voice, Yukinari turns his head to behold Kirie standing there and smiling at him.

"Kirie" Yukinari says pulling out his mouth guard, "what are you doing here? This is the boys locker room!"

"It's okay, the boys don't mind" Kirie responds sitting down next to him.

"Kirie, what's up?" Yukinari asks.

"I just wanted to make sure you were feeling well."

"Wh-why wouldn't I be?" Yukinari asked.

"Because I know you: you get nervous especially when you're under pressure like this" Kirie said. "And sure enough, here you are not looking too sure of yourself. I just wanted to tell you to relax and wish you luck."

"Oh. Thanks Kirie but don't worry, I'm okay" Yukinari says trying to mask his unease.

"Really? You don't seem okay to me."

"No, I swear, I'm okay" Yukinari answers hoping to reassure her.

"Honest?" Kirie asked.

"Honest" Yukinari lies still trying to conceal his discomfort.

"Because it's perfectly okay to feel scared" Kirie says. "I know I would be feeling scared if I was in your position." Yukinari is taken aback by these words.

"But Kirie, you're one of the bravest people I know! You, you're fearless! You fight people off and make it look easy" Yukinari compliments. "When we rescued Miharu, the way you and Maharu took on those space travel agents! That was incredible! I'll admit I was sort of jealous even that you could do that and I couldn't" he confided. "Or when you charged at that guy, that Akuma guy. He was bigger than you Kirie but you charged regardless! Makes me glad to know that you're on my side."

"But Yukinari, I wasn't fearless" Kirie admits. "I was scared those times. I was definitely scared."

"You, you were!?"

"Yes, very" Kirie answered. "I may not have shown it but I felt fear. I was afraid for Miharu and everyone else who joined us in rescuing her. And I felt fear for you when I charged at that man, Akuma. I was afraid you would get hurt if I didn't try something. And I feel fear whenever I learn about you getting bullied and pushed around. Assaulted even!"

"..Kirie... I, I had no idea" Yukinari reveals surprised.

"I feel fear when it comes to the people I love. The difference is I don't let it get to me. I overcome my fear and then I do what needs to get done!" Kirie declares. "I understand if you're scared Yukinari. We've all felt it before. That's always the first part of any battle: the battle against your own feelings! You have to be fearless Yukinari! You have to be strong! For Miharu's sake" Kirie finishes, her eyes on Yukinari's, her hands firmly on his shoulders.

"You-you're right Kirie. You're absolutely right" Yukinari returns sitting up in his seat.

"Take a deep breath" Kirie commands. Yukinari breathes in deeply before exhaling out.

"...Thank you Kirie. I needed that" Yukinari says sincerely, color returning to his pale face, his shoulders raised, his chest out.

"I'm glad to hear that Yukinari" Kirie says relieved. "But Yukinari, before you go out there, can I just say one more thing?" Kirie asks. Yukinari blinks at this.

"Huh? Sure, go ahead.." Kirie sits still and redirects her eyes at the floor, her hair covering the sides of her face.

"Yukinari" Kirie began as she rectified her view.

"Yeah?"

"When I fought you yesterday, I didn't just fight to help you. I fought you because I wanted to know how far you'd come... When I got to experience how much you'd changed yourself, I could feel courage emanating from you and it inspired me to try harder. To be bold like you."

"Kirie" Yukinari whispers surprised. "You needing courage from me? Of all people?..." he asked.

"Yes, Yukinari..." Kirie answered. "I needed courage and I've found it... For what I'm about to do... For what I'm about to tell you." Kirie stops and tightens the grip on her seat. "Yukinari, I... I'm in love with you..." Kirie reveals and takes a deep breath through a dead silence, a silence during which she could feel her heart pounding. "...I've loved you for a long time... And recently, my feelings have only grown stronger that... I can't hold them in anymore... I've wanted to let you know for as long as I can remember... It was only recently that I've mustered up the strength to do so..."

Both remain stunned silent in their place for moments that seemed like eternities. Yukinari still seeks appropriate words to say, Kirie's heart thumping as though it was struggling to leap out.

"I've... had my suspicions Kirie" Yukinari answers. "As someone who had a girl phobia, I didn't have much luck with girls. Of all the girls in my school, you were one of a very few who befriended me..." A pause. "Of all the boys who sought you, you chose to spend time with me, a boy nicknamed 'Punynari'. Despite my allergies and my failures, there you were" Yukinari explained.

"But you're allergy" Kirie noted.

"Yeah, but it wasn't only that... Although I suspected it, I never thought I was good enough for you Kirie. I was allergic to girls, Kirie! I mean how pathetic was that?.." Yukinari said with great self-pity. "That and I was short and puny. A pathetic gopher like me and a strong, gorgeous, brave girl like you? Who could kick any guy's ass and was envied and desired by so many at school?.. I never felt worthy enough for you Kirie... So I just never... I never considered it."

"I-I see..." Kirie answered. Just then, Yukinari recalled Kirie had broken up with Kazuharu Fukuyama himself, a man whose wealth and good looks have made him the most-desired in all of Mizuno. At that moment, he couldn't help but feel astonished that she had chosen to chase after him over someone like Kazuharu.

"...Kirie, what was it you saw in me to begin with?" Yukinari felt compelled to ask.

"I've asked myself that very question many times. It's many things: I've known you for so long that I, I just can't imagine myself without you around." Kirie takes a deep breath which calms her down. "You are a wonderful and caring friend who puts up with a lot from myself and others... And for as long as I've known you, I could always see a lot of potential just waiting to come out of you somehow, some way. Do you remember when we first met Koyomi? When we found her in our bathroom and Fukuyama went after her?"

"Yeah" Yukinari answers recalling Fukuyama chasing a terrified Koyomi.

"Koyomi told me once all about how you stood up to Fukuyama despite the fact that he was bigger than you. How you struck him with an umbrella and triggered his allergy for Koyomi's sake" Kirie said in admiration. "You should have heard the appreciation in her voice!.. And remember when you stood up to Fukuyama when he was trying to ruin your date with Miharu?"

"Yes, I do" Yukinari confirms.

"You took him head on without any fear for the sake of Miharu... And although it sort of hurt seeing you do that for another girl, it was rare feats like those why I'd always encourage you to always try your best and have faith in yourself! In the end, I was right. You've come this far and watching you working hard to better yourself has been among the most amazing experiences I've ever had!.."

"Kirie..." Yukinari answered not knowing what else to say.

"...Yukinari, my feelings for you are emotions I've tried to ignore but... It's hard just trying to stay your friend."

"E-excuse me" began a club member who had just entered the locker room. "Yukinari, Nina wanted me to ask you if you were ready. If so, please proceed to the training room" he instructed.

Yukinari, feeling suddenly relaxed by his conversation with Kirie, looks down at the head gear in his hand. "Yes, I'm ready. I'll be there in an instant."

"Okay" the member acknowledged and exited.

"Kirie... I wish you hadn't chosen to do this here and now" Yukinari says making Kirie tense up. "I have so much going through my mind right now, I have no time for distractions. I need to save Miharu and I need to focus" he says closing his locker.

"Distractions!?" Kirie thought to herself, her heart sinking. "Yukinari... Have you fallen for her again?" she asks in a hush fearing the answer. Yukinari, for a moment, says nothing.

"Kirie, thank you for the badly needed pep talk. You know you're pretty good at those" he at last says. He turns to her, a smile on his face. "I hope you're there to watch me fight him and I hope you'll cheer me on" Yukinari says not wishing to answer her question.

"..I will" Kirie answered after mustering up the strength.

"I'm glad... Wish me luck Kirie" Yukinari responds and he walks off to the training room, Kirie watching him walking away through misty eyes. On his back, the fierce dragon wrapping around a yin-yang which was emblazoned on his uniform stands out above all other things. She remains in her seat as though paralyzed questioning whether Yukinari had accepted or rejected her feelings and now she feared what effect her confession might have on their friendship. On top of it all, her fears that Yukinari may have regained his feelings for Miharu felt justified. She felt she had lost her chance in the three months they had been split up. She felt a fool for having confessed then and there.

Gripping his head gear in one hand, Yukinari enters the dark training room where powerful lights illuminated the cage. In the training room he finds many club members seated around the hexagonal cage on foldable chairs. "M-Miss Nina... Did you set this crowd up?..." Yukinari pondered to himself. "Wasn't expecting an audience..." Some of those observing are Seiichirou's previous challengers, others are there out of curiosity and others because they enjoy watching a good fight. "This is gonna be good", "hey, that's that guy who beat Nina's challenge", "he'll get pulverized", "I love rooting for the underdog", "I heard Seiichirou was holding the challenger's girlfriend hostage!", "No way!" was among the talk flowing around the crowd. Many others were secretly placing their bets. "5000 on Seiichirou!", "3000 on Yukinari!", "1000 on Miss Nina's student!

Among those seated in the front row were Nina, Masashi and Kaito. Lisa, Koyomi, and Tomoka also sat next to Nina and an empty seat was set up in between Nina and Lisa, presumably meant for Kirie. Inside the cage, Yukinari sees Seiichirou, shirtless wearing athletic shorts in one of the corners facing away from Yukinari. His gloved hands grip the cage and his fiery-haired head is bowed, seemingly in deep meditation. Yukinari approaches the cage and enters. Nina enters shortly thereafter and stands between the two combatants. Seiichirou breaks away from his meditation and approaches the center of the cage.

"I want a good fair fight out of you two" Nina instructs them both as they stare each other down, Seiichirou standing slightly taller and bulkier than Yukinari. "Any dirty moves and I'll punish the perpetrator myself. Understood?" Nina said authoritavely.

"Yesh" both combatants answer in unison.

"Very good... Okay, the moment the cage door closes behind me will be the moment this match starts. Understood?" Nina asks.

"Yesh" both combatants answer again.

"Good" Nina says exiting the cage. The door to the large cage closes behind her and Yukinari feels as though he were being locked into a tiger's cage. He however did not let this intimidate him. If he was to face a tiger then he convinced himself in his mind that he shall become a dragon and face the tiger head-on without any fear, only fierce determination and bravery.

"Here we go!" Seiichirou shouts and immediately jumps into action. Running swiftly, he closes the space between him and Yukinari. He bends his legs and just as quickly extends them pushing himself forward with an incredible momentum. Yukinari barely manages to lift his arms up defensively as Seiichirou's tucked fist explodes forward breaking through Yukinari's defensive stance and colliding into Yukinari's face. An incredible pain surfaces in his face and he stumbles back.

"D-damn! S-so fast!" Yukinari thinks to himself. "There he is again!" he exclaims mentally, Seiichirou leaping forward a second time and drawing his other fist back. Yukinari, determined to stop the attack, catches the punch but the attack still surges forward slowing only very little and again strikes Yukinari's face forcing him back further, his shoulder blades hitting the cage wall. Seiichirou does not stop: a third leap follows relentlessly but this time, he takes aim at Yukinari's stomach intending to rob him of his air supply.

"Not happening!" Yukinari shouts jumping away barely evading the attack which hits the cage wall. Yukinari increases the distance between he and Seiichirou and clears his head.

"This guy, he's too quick!" Yukinari thinks to himself watching Seiichirou stand, exhale, and take a long deep breath. "I can't let him keep hitting me but I can't catch and stop his attacks to create openings. How do I?"

"Run. Run ash hard ash you can Yukinari" Seiichirou says and quickly restarts a forward charge closing in on Yukinari and leaping forward again. He pours his body's momentum into another punch but Yukinari anticipates it: he pulls his head back just barely evading Seiichirou's swing and for an instant sees an opening. Yukinari winds his own knuckles back and drives them into Seiichirou's exposed cheek making Seiichirou's head turn. Seiichirou leaps back and stands facing Yukinari.

"He got him!" Lisa says semi-relieved.

"Not enough" Nina says.

"Ish that all?" Seiichirou asks mockingly. "Yukinari, you dishappoint me!"

"Damn, I hit him but it doesn't even look like it affected him! Damn!" Yukinari thinks to himself. He tastes blood on his mouth and realizes the blood flowing out his nose. "I'm bleeding... I've got to hit him harder!" he thinks trying to keep up with another one of Seiichirou's charges. "Look closely!" Yukinari urges himself on. "Look closely!" he shouts to himself in his mind, his eyes watching Seiichirou swinging fully-charged and powerful swings of his fists left and right. His eyes, for a very brief instant catch a glimpse of Seiichirou's feet launching him forward and providing the power for his relentless arm-swinging. "There it is!" Yukinari thinks in realization as he continues to back away from the attacks. His back hits the cage wall again and Seiichirou lunges forward taking aim again at Yukinari's stomach, his arm drawn.

"Eat thish!" Yukinari shouts. Grasping the cage fence with both hands, he lifts his legs, bends them and drives them into Seiichirou's accelerating head twisting it painfully.

"Aaaaahhh!" Seiichirou screams grabbing his face and falling to the floor.

"Gotcha" Yukinari says watching Seiichirou writhing on the floor. "My legs are longer than his arms. I reached his face before he could reach my gut" Yukinari elaborates to himself.

"Got him!" Lisa cheers, Koyomi and Tomoka joining her.

"It's not over girls" Nina says watching closely. "Far from it."

Seiichirou stops moving and begins to laugh. "Hahahaha! Yukinari, very good. Very good!" he exclaims lying on the floor. "Now thingsh have gotten intereshting!" he breathes getting up, blood flowing lightly out from his nose and his teeth coated with red. "You've made me bleed and made my back touch the floor. Not bad. It won't happen again, I asshure you!" Seiichirou shouts charging and leaping forward no differently than before.

"This again?" Yukinari thinks to himself evading Seiichirou's swing. Yukinari pulls his head back just beyond Seiichirou's swing. "That won't work twice Seiichirou" Yukinari says in thought.

Seiichirou's arm swings full but it continues its movement up from Yukinari's face down to the padded floor. Seiichirou grasps the floor underneath him with both hands and pushes his extended legs into Yukinari's face.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Yukinari shouts from the terrible pain pulsating throughout his face. His back hits the fence again and his hands grasp at his jaw. "Daaammn!" Yukinari shouts underneath his palms, the nerves in his teeth rebelling angrily. A swift fist ambushes Yukinari and buries into his stomach forcing all the wind out of his lungs.

"Gaaakgghhh! Kogh koff cough" Yukinari coughs violently trying to gain his wind back.

"Gotcha" Seiichirou whispers with his knuckles still embedded into Yukinari's gut. "Now" Seiichirou growls seizing Yukinari by his arms, "faaaalll!" Seiichirou yells tossing Yukinari over his shoulder and making him fly across the inside of the cage. He hits the floor with a loud thud but he rolls away helping to mitigate some of the impact.

"Yukinari, no!" Lisa shouts as though she had felt some of his pain.

Seiichirou wastes no time and charges after Yukinari. He closes in quickly hoping to kick Yukinari into submission. Yukinari conquers the horrible pain in his jaw and rolls away. Yukinari then quickly jumps up to his feet breathing heavily in attempts to recover his breath.

"Lisa" Nina begins. "Where's Kirie?"

"I don't kno-"

"I'm right here" Kirie's anxious voice answers. She was not at her seat but rather standing in the aisle, her body very tense, her eyes focused on the struggle between Yukinari and Seiichirou.

"A bit late to the show" Nina criticizes.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really on edge right now" Kirie says as everyone catches sight of Yukinari struggling to get back up. He manages to evade more of Seiichirou's charges some of which result in successful counter-attacks against Seiichirou, some of which strike Yukinari brutally.

"I'm certain Yukinari's feeling worse... Have a seat" Nina said indicating the open seat next to her.

"I, I can't" Kirie answers. "I'd rather stand."

"Suit yourself" Nina finishes, her attention back to the action in the cage.

"Give me all you've got Yukinari!" Seiichirou demanded. "That'sh the only way you will ever manage to shurvive againsht me!" He swings his right fist aiming at Yukinari's head, Yukinari ducks. Seiichirou grasps at Yukinari's head and drives his knee into Yukinari's face. Despite the terrible pain, Yukinari breaks the grab quickly and distances himself. Seeichirou charges again leaving little room or time for recovery or thought. Seiichirou body slams Yukinari up against the cage and squeezes Yukinari's ribs and abdomen making it difficult to breathe, his lungs struggling to expand.

"Aaaahhhh!" Yukinari shouts and starts to savagely punch and elbow Seiichirou's head. Seiichirou's head bounces from the impacts and slowly, blood begins to flow from underneath his head gear. Despite the pounding, Seiichirou seems undisturbed and he tosses Yukinari away again. Yukinari rolls into the fall holding his stomach and ribs, his breathing replenishing his lungs desperately. Seiichirou charges again but Yukinari anticipates it: Yukinari, at the last moment, responds with his own charge making sure to keep his center of gravity closer to the ground. The distance between them closes quickly but Yukinari, by charging, takes Seiichirou by surprise. He smashes into Seiichirou's stomach, slams him down onto the floor and begins to pummel away with all his might at Seiichirou's head. "You wanted all I've got Sheiichirou? Huh!?" Yukinari shouts angrily bashing Seiichirou's head, small amounts of blood decorating the padded floor underneath the two. Yukinari, for a fleeting instant, notices Seiichirou giving Yukinari a bloody smile before getting kicked away by both of Seiichirou's legs. Seiichirou stands and stares at his opponent. He runs his palm down his face and finds blood.

"Very good Yukinari, very good. I musht shay I'm impresshed! It'sh a shame that thish won't end well for you!"

"We'll shee!" Yukinari shouts and they both charge at each other again.

"This one... will be close..." Nina ponders silently from the seats, hushed whispers of surprise floating around the crowds.

Seiichirou quickly jumps kicking at Yukinari fiercely. Yukinari, with whatever energy he could squeeze out, dodges it but stumbles, his legs feeling numb. Seiichirou lands but wastes no time: he charges again and kicks Yukinari square in the chest, spins, his other leg hooked kicking Yukinari's face and knocking him back hard and fast against the cage wall. Yukinari falls to his hands and knees, drops of blood dripping onto the floor under him. Yukinari's hand grips the padded floor as though he were seeking the strength to go on but finds nothing. He looks towards the crowds and finds Masashi and Kaito watching on with pity. He then finds Koyomi and Tomoka watching in shock, Nina with arms crossed glaring at him and then finally, the two girls nearby.

"Lisa, Kirie. I, I'm sorry..." Yukinari apologizes looking Kirie and Lisa's way, their faces wearing expressions of grief. "I don't... I don't know if I can do this..." He turns his blurred gaze towards his opponent and Seiichirou slowly approaches. "Could this be it? Will it end like this? I've tried so hard but... in the end."

"Miss Nina! Please stop this!" Lisa begs. "He's too hurt!"

"Lisa, that's a loss! And I would prefer such a decision be left up to Yukinari! But if you feel he's reached his limit, I will-"

"No" Kirie cuts across. "Let it go. Let the fight go on!" Nina, seeing Kirie's hand curled up into a fist, complies.

"Very well then. I shall let it go on" Nina said. "But Yukinari's pretty beat. Is there something you're seeing that I'm not?"

"Yukinari's going to win. I, I can feel it" Kirie whispers, her eyes not leaving the ring for an instant. Nina says nothing and returns to the match, her arms folded.

"You've fought well Yukinari" Seiichirou says in his approach, "and you've managed to make me bleed many timesh over more than anyone I've ever fought before. But thish fight ish about to end" he warns balling his hands into fists. "Prepare yourshelf!" Seiichirou shouts closing in. "I'm about to finish thish!"

"Yukinariii!" Lisa shouts and several in the audience turn their heads at the sudden outburst.

"Get up! Get up off the floor!" Kirie demanded in an outburst, her face twisted angrily. "Get up on your damn feet now! Don't let this bastard win! Kick his ass! That's why you're in there! To kick his ass and get Miharu back!" she shouts.

"Kirie... Lisa... Girls..." Yukinari repeats in his mind. "I'm sorr-" At that instant, memories of Kirie, Lisa, and Miss Nina's dedication towards his training burst forth from somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind. Recollections of his hard work, of his sweat, of his blood. Recollections of his pushing himself, of his conquering fears inside and outside the UFC flash by in his mind instantaneously, memories that fill him with an incredible resolve. "You girls... are right... I... I can't give in now! I can't disappoint Miss Nina! I, I can't fail Kirie or Lisa! I must not fail Miharu! Mi-Miharu is waiting for me!" "Damn it!" He shouts feeling a renewed, stubborn will to go on and getting up to one knee, lifts his arms and catches a heavy kick delivered by Seiichirou with both hands.

"Why you!" Seiichirou growls trying to pull away from Yukinari's grip.

"I-I'm shorry Sheiichirou.. but thish ishn't over. There have been too many people.. who've worked hard... to get me here. I can't let them down!" Yukinari says breathing heavily. "Ehehehe" Yukinari chuckled and spit blood out of his mouth before mockingly asking "thish kick of yoursh jusht now, are you nearing your limit too?"

"Shut it!" Seiichirou snarls angrily. "I'm ending thish now!" he shouts ripping his leg out from Yukinari's grasp and stumbling back. Seiichirou backs away and steadies himself. "Pershishtent little bashtard!" he shouts swinging his right fist taking precise aim at Yukinari's head. Yukinari, pulling his head back, counters with his own punch. Their knuckles collide canceling each other out. Seiichirou's left fist flies forward but it too meets Yukinari's left. Again Seiichirou winds his right and launches it but again it is countered by Yukinari's right. Back and forth they go in a battle of stamina both fighters subconsciously agree to. Despite the padding, Yukinari's knuckles felt as though they were cracking, the skin on them felt as though it were slowly being peeled off. He suspected underneath his gloves was a bloody mess, the pain becoming only greater with every blow he countered. His wrists, elbows, and shoulders also pained from the repeated impacts.

"I, I can't go on like this!" Yukinari shouted in his mind. "I have to... do something!" Recalling his fight with Kirie, Yukinari finds the answer. He notes the incredible energy pouring from Seiichirou's knuckles and, as Seiichirou's right fist comes flying by again, he readies himself getting up on one knee. "I, I don't have to counter them" Yukinari realizes. He opens his palm and meets Seiichirou's fist with it taking Seiichirou by surprise. "All I have to do is deflect them!" He flicks his palm to the side and the immense momentum invested into Seiichirou's fist is redirected throwing him forward for an instant. Grasping Seiichirou's arm and catching the single opening he had created with bent knees, Yukinari both pulls Seiichirou down towards him and pulls the entirety of his body up. He drives the same Kirie-inspired open palm forward with all the might he could muster into Seiichirou's face making his head whip back severely and making Seiichirou feel as though his head would rip off from the force, a force the product of both their momentums.

"Wha-what the hell!?" Seiichirou growled in his racing mind as his jaws collided, his teeth feeling as though they had shattered from the impact, his body flying away from the collision. Not letting up, Yukinari closes his palm grasping at Seiichirou's head with a vice-like grip and wielding an immense strength, as much as his arm could tolerate, drives Seiichirou's head down into the floor during their short descent, Seiichirou's arms helplessly grabbing at Yukinari's powerful grasp. "AAaaaagghhhhh!" he shouts pouring all his strength with both arms and weight into the head slam and a horrible, skull-rattling thud rings out from the devastating impact filling the otherwise stunned-silent room.

Yukinari, not fully realizing what had just happened, looks around and finds himself kneeling on the floor. Both hands holding tightly onto Seiichirou's still head. He releases his grasp and finds Seiichirou unconscious underneath and the room lets out a collective gasp. A knockout victory and shock reverberates throughout the room.

"D-did he do it!?", "There's no way!", "I'm rich!", "He did it!", "Damn it! There goes my bet!"

Koyomi and Tomoka cheer, Kaito and Masashi cheer, Nina stands with a look of surprise on her face.

"Yukinari won!" Lisa cheered.

"Alright!" Tomoka squeaks.

"...Yeah" Kirie acknowledged abandoning her previous fears. "...Congratulations Yukinari!" she thought to herself. 


	18. Chapter 18

Season 3 Episode 42: Bravo at Last!

Yukinari stands and looks around the training room with numbed senses. He hears some members shouting words of encouragement and disbelief. "You are something else kid!", "the underdog carried the day!", "I never thought that he of all people", "I can't believe this!", "There goes my bet!", "I'm rich!" were among the voices around him. He smiles internally and almost loses his balance reaching for the cage fence. He recovers his breath and wipes away sweat and the light coating of blood from his face. Looking at the crowd, he spots Nina, a look of pride on her face and at Masashi wearing a triumphant smirk. He spots Koyomi and Tomoka embracing joyfully, Lisa who is busily joining the audience in their cheer and Kirie whose eyes at first meet Yukinari's but then immediately divert toward Yukinari's six. The voices belonging to the crowds immediately turn to gasps and swift footsteps sound out behind Yukinari. Turning his head, Yukinari sees Seiichirou charging full speed towards him launching a savage punch. The punch lands on Yukinari's face from the side hard and fast. Yukinari, tolerating the fierceness of the sneak attack, jumps away and steadies himself. "What the hell!?" he thinks, his mind racing.

"Thish ish far from over Yukinari!" Seiichirou shouts charging, his worn face twisting in a burning rage. He collides full-force against Yukinari knocking him down. Seiichirou wastes no time: his knee falls hard against Yukinari's abdomen forcing his wind out and his arms ferociously strike at Yukinari's face. "I won't loshe!"

"The bastard!" Kirie growls.

"Miss Nina! The fight was supposed to be over!" Tomoka shouted alarmed.

"Stop this!" Koyomi added urgently.

"Miss Nina, shall we step in?" Masashi asked, other concerned club members standing beside him.

"No, that won't be necessary" Nina instructs, her arm outstretched halting them. "This will be over shortly" she declares. Both of Seiichirou's balled fists fly against Yukinari's head, left and right, one after another. Yukinari holds his arms up but then catches both of Seiichirou's fists and holds onto them tightly by the wrists.

"L-let go!" Seiichirou demanded pulling his arms away, Yukinari's grip tightening painfully.

"Know when to quit!" Yukinari shouts. He bends his leg, aims it and kicks Seiichirou's head aggressively. He bends it again and strikes again mercilessly a second and then third time releasing his grip after the fourth. Seiichirou, his head bruised and coated in a light red, collapses onto the floor. "Enough Sheiichirou! It'sh over!" Yukinari shouts standing up.

"Aaaaaaahhh!" Seiichirou shouted in pain. He grasps at his face and stops moving. "H-how?.. A-a punk like you!" he said raising his voice, his body devoid of any more energy on the padded floor. He tries to move his arms and legs but they felt numb and his head felt as though it had been shaken and rattled severely. The floor underneath him felt as though it were vibrating, he was seeing double, and worst of all, he wondered how in such a quick instant Yukinari could turn the tables completely. "...How?"

Nina, seeing it was over, enters the cage and stands over Seiichirou mildly amused. "Wow, he did a number on you!" she commented as she handed Yukinari a sanitized towel. "You wanna know Seiichirou? You wanna know!? Is that what you want!?" Nina posed mockingly.

"How?" Seiichirou repeats.

"...To be honest, I don't know" Nina finally answers. "I was expecting Yukinari to lose!"

"Huh!?" a puzzled Yukinari and Seiichirou express loudly at the same time.

"M-Miss Nina, what are you saying!?" Yukinari exclaims in shock after spitting out his mouth guard.

"Relax, I was expecting a close battle, which it was! But that last move of yours, that took me by surprise!" Nina explained. "It took Seiichirou by surprise too!"

"You were expecting me to lose!?" Yukinari exclaims still in shock. "B-but Miss Nina, you told me you foresaw a victory yesterday! How co-"

"I didn't say it was 'your' victory!" Nina cuts across. "I didn't know whose victory I was seeing!"

"M-Miss Nina!" Yukinari whined. "H-how could you!?"

"Will you pipe down! You won! That's all that matters!" Nina counters. "Now in answer to your question Seiichirou" Nina begins turning to Yukinari's challenger, "when discussing how Yukinari won, I think it should be mentioned that Yukinari was one of a very few who had finished my training, a training you abandoned. Instead, you settled for fighting random, novice club members and abusing your body in the process! He stands here while you lie there, beaten."

"Bull" Seiichirou growled as he struggles to sit up.

"As always, you're so quick to just dismiss" Nina comments approaching Seiichirou. She pulls one of Seiichirou's gloves off and finds his knuckles swollen, a few of them with cracking skin. "Wow, did you guys punch that hard near the end? Anyways, I think the victor's input may help shed some light on this topic" she says turning towards Yukinari.

Yukinari, who is joined by his friends ponders the question as he rips off his head gear and gloves and examines his hands. He finds his knuckles reddened though not as much as Seiichirou's. "I don't know how I managed either. I... I don't know where it has all come from... I've surprised even myself" he says examining his knuckles. He too feeling somewhat dazed, Yukinari takes a much needed seat and rest.

"That body of yours is something Yukinari. Make sure to treasure it and care for it!" Nina advised. "For you to come this far in three months: even I'm surprised" Nina said. "I'm surprised you beat a knucklehead like Seiichirou! Make sure not to abuse your body like Seiichirou here!" Nina said indicating Miharu's brother.

"Seiichirou, we had a deal!" Yukinari reminded his opponent as he cleaned his face with the sanitized towel, the dry blood getting wiped away.

"Screw you" Seiichirou answered defiantly.

"Seiichirou, where is she? Let her go! I had your word!" Yukinari demands standing.

"Go to hell. Stay away from my little sister!"

"Seiichirou!" Yukinari exclaimed angrily.

"Don't waste your breath on him Yukinari! He's always been like that!" Nina says. "He can be as stubborn as a mule!"

"But Miss Nina-"

"Don't worry. Things will be sorted out shortly!" Nina assures.

"H-how?" Yukinari asked quickly.

"Recall how I told you I was expecting you to lose to Seiichirou?" Nina asked.

"Don't remind me Miss Nina!" Yukinari whimpers further. "And how could you deceive me!? Miharu's well-being was at stake here!"

"Will you stop your whining!? It's unsightly!" Nina chastises pinching Yukinari's cheeks, an annoyed look on her face. "Now listen: since I believed your loss had a probable chance of occurring, I've contacted an old friend of mine from long ago. She'll sort things out once she gets here which should be any moment. Right about..."

"...You've contacted a friend? Who?" Yukinari asks. His question is not answered and instead met with a moment of silence.

"Now!" Nina says finally breaking the quiet.

"Seiichirou!" a woman shouts out from the entrance to the training room. "So this is what you've been up to!?" Yukinari and the others all turn their heads to find a familiar face: Miharu's older sister, Maharu, marches towards them, enters the cage and walks up to Seiichirou sitting up on the floor.

"B-big sis! How have you-" Seiichirou asks with a fear in his voice no one has ever heard before.

"You little bastard!" Maharu shouts kneeling and slapping Seiichirou across the face. "What's this about you holding Miharu hostage!? Answer me!" she demanded infuriated and slapping him loudly again. Several club members begin to chuckle, others turn their heads preferring not to watch.

"I-I can explain" Seiichirou says before getting slapped a third time.

"Miss Nina, how-" Yukinari began to ask over Maharu's shouting.

"Maharu's a friend of long ago" Nina explains. "I recently got in touch with her and I let her know about what was going on. Don't worry, she'll sort things out."

"You mean you could have told her at any time about what was-" Yukinari said with the greatest of urgency and shock before being interrupted.

"It was fun wasn't it?" Nina said seemingly unconcerned about all the drama that had taken place. "I had fun! Didn't you?"

"Miss Nina" Yukinari began gloomily. "I should have seen it... I can't trust you, my own teacher!.."

"I don't need you to trust me Yukinari" Nina said ominously. "I just need you to fear me!" she hissed wearing a snake-like grin making Yukinari's skin crawl.

"Seiichirou, what could have compelled you to detain your own little sister!?" Maharu shouted.

"Earthling men have been taking advantage of her! I was just-"

"Not that reasoning again! You're lucky you pissed me off on a good day! Otherwise I would have beaten the paranoid out of you by now!" Maharu threatened. Several club members could only look on awkwardly. Judging from their interaction, there was no denying Seiichirou and Maharu were siblings, Maharu the dominant older sister. "Yukinari" Maharu began, "I'm sorry for whatever trouble my brother has put you through and-" Maharu stops after looking up at Yukinari. She senses an enticing manly essence emanating from his bloody and sweaty muscular body and she quickly stands up.

"Yu-Yukinari, I take it you agreed to fight my stupid brother to save Miharu right?"

"That's right" Yukinari answers.

"Wow, how noble!" Maharu compliments. "I'm jealous! From the looks of things, he hasn't kept his word though."

"No, he hasn't."

"Yup, no surprise there. He's always been stubborn like that. Don't worry though; I'll get Miharu out" Maharu assures.

"Big sister, don't-" Seiichirou protested.

"You shut up! I don't want to hear a word out of you" Maharu reprimanded. "Koyomi, I'm going to need your help. You and Yukinari, follow me" Maharu requests walking out of the cage.

"Yes ma'am" Koyomi answers as she and Yukinari walk over to Maharu's side.

"Nina, we're going to need a bath or large body of water" Maharu directs at Nina.

"There's a hot tub in my office. The door to it is in the girl's locker room" Nina reveals.

"Miss Nina has an office?" Yukinari ponders at Nina's revelation.

"Ah, very well then! If you'll excuse us" Maharu says heading out of the training room, Yukinari and Koyomi following. "Take care of my idiot brother okay Nina?" Maharu calls out as she proceeds to the lockers.

"I will!" Nina answers. "Alright Seiichirou, just calm down. Yukinari probably gave you a mild concussion so the club nurses want to get a good look at you" she says as slightly irked male club members approach Seiichirou.

"Damn it" Seiichirou mutters still feeling dizzy.

Yukinari exits the training room alongside Koyomi. As he does so, he looks back and finds Kirie, Tomoka, and Lisa standing by the cage which was being disassembled. Tomoka waved and Lisa and Kirie watched as he walked off. An annoyed concern on Lisa's face, a weak but encouraging smile on Kirie's. Despite their own reservations, they both felt Yukinari had earned a reunion with Miharu. "Girls, I'll be right back! Wait for me!" Yukinari shouts. Part of him wanted them to come along but in the end, he thought it would be for the best if he saw Miharu alone.

"They'll wait for you Yukinari. Don't worry" Koyomi assures him smiling.

"Oh, thanks Koyomi. I hope so" Yukinari responds as Maharu, Yukinari, and Koyomi reach the girl's locker room. After checking to see if anyone was inside, Yukinari is allowed in and he's lead to Miss Nina's office situated in the back, a very spacious room with a hot tub, a mini bar, and television with cable and internet access for anyone relaxing inside. "She calls this an office?" Yukinari wonders feeling he should not be too surprised by this development. "Something tells me this is for relaxation, not office work..."

Without warning, two long arms immediately wrap around Yukinari and two massive mounds of plump flesh press up against his back. "Yuukinaariii~" Maharu's voice whines amorously. "I love what you've done with yourself!" she says sticking her hands up his shirt.

"Maharu, what- Please stop!" Yukinari begs. Koyomi, blushing, watches on helplessly.

"But Yukinari" Maharu wailed, her hands still grabbing at his chest and abdomen. "I'm nearing middle age and I'm in heat!" she says, her hips waving suggestively and her massive chest rubbing Yukinari's back. "I want it and you've got just what I need!" she says as one of her hands descends too low for Yukinari's comfort.

"Maharu!" Yukinari shouts breaking her hold, Koyomi covering her eyes, both their faces red.

"That's so naughty!" Koyomi shouts.

"Maharu, please!" Yukinari protests, his back to a corner of the room as Maharu approaches him with wanting eyes.

"I want it so bad Yukinari! Give it to me, here and now!" Maharu drooled, her eyes seemingly possessed by a lustful hunger. "Koyomi can go after I'm done!"

"N-n-no!" a pink-faced Koyomi cries out.

"Please Maharu! What would Miharu think?" Yukinari asks halting Maharu's approach.

"...You really know how to ruin a girl's fun don't you?" Maharu comments disappointed. "...Alright. Koyomi, make a portal out of the pool!" Maharu commands as Yukinari sighs with relief.

Koyomi, after regaining her composure takes a deep breath and the color in her face returns to normal. The markings on her forehead begin to glow and a light from the bottom of the pool begins to shine brightly.

"Let's go!" Maharu says walking and disappearing into the torrent of light. Yukinari, bracing himself follows and Koyomi tails them both. Finally, the light dissipates and leaves behind a vacant room.

An instant and a bright flash later, Yukinari surfaces out of a body of water and his eyes open up. "Where are we?" Yukinari asks looking around, his hair and clothing drenched.

"A safe house or rather, you could call it that in this scenario" Maharu explains as she too surfaces.

"Whose house?" Yukinari asks.

"That's not important Yukinari" Maharu says. "What's important is that we get to Miharu." All three climb out, around them a bath room that looked little different from the one in Yukinari's home, water dripping from their hair and clothing. "Yukinari, you wait here. Koyomi and I will go fetch you some new clothes. That and we're going to get changed into some dry clothing ourselves."

Both she and Koyomi exit as Yukinari waits and rests after the fight. Maharu returns holding dry clothes for Yukinari which he changes into quickly. He examines himself and finds them not too different from his own clothing. Wearing a simple dark blue short-sleeve shirt and dark cargo pants, Yukinari begins to walk out of the room only to be stopped by Maharu at the door.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Yukinari, you can't walk out just like this! You're in Seiren remember? Girls will devour you if they see you!" Maharu explains to Yukinari's recollection. "Here" she says holding out a wig and a large cloak.

Several moments later, Maharu and Koyomi are walking out in public alongside Yukinari wearing a blonde wig and a cloak covering his body. "I think it's working Maharu" Yukinari whispers to her.

"Of course it's working" Maharu answers as several Seiren residents pass them by without a second glance. All three continue walking with Maharu leading the way, a phone up to her ear for several minutes. "Yes, yes. That's right. Okay, thank you. Good bye" Maharu speaks into the phone before hanging up. "I was speaking to a STA representative and I've learned where Miharu is at the moment and I've managed to lift the detainment. As the oldest family member, I can override my younger brother's requests when it comes to these family matters" Maharu explains to Yukinari's relief.

"Koyomi, we should have just phoned Maharu to begin with" Yukinari tells Koyomi.

"Sorry but the phone number to the cell phone she's holding doesn't have service on Earth" Koyomi explains. "It's the only one we at the STA have on record."

"Oh! Of course" Yukinari responds discouraged. "Maharu, I have a question."

"Go ahead then."

"Why have neither you nor Miharu ever told us about Seiichirou?"

"Because, he was ostracized from the family due to his behavior" Maharu elaborates sullenly. "He's always loved to pick fights with Seiren males and that behavior often got him into trouble with the law. Because of the constant disturbances he was causing, he was banished from our family."

"Makes sense: he was always asking for challengers back at the UFC on Earth" Yukinari elaborates to himself. "But Maharu, he also seemed to be hateful of Earthling men, based on the things he'd say."

"Oh. That... Yukinari, the reason there exists the 'orders of detainment' here on Seiren is to protect the female population here against abduction by Earth's inhabitants. Because of our high female-to-male ratio, Seiren girls have always been vulnerable to the allure of Earth and Earthling men with evil intentions. Miharu herself was almost a victim of this when she was younger" Maharu explained. "A horrible man who had figured a way to get here to Seiren wreaked havoc over a period of days almost getting away with several young girls he had kidnapped, tied up, and hoarded into a house. The star mark is highly valued on Earth so this man targeted girls with that mark on their forehead. As you know, Miharu has one and so naturally she was targeted."

"No..." Yukinari whispered in shock.

"Yes Yukinari. Thankfully, Seiichirou helped to foil this man's plot. Somehow, with a kitchen knife, he managed to kill the man after he had broken into Miharu's bedroom. When Seiren police got onto the scene, the man's lifeless body was found in a pool of his own blood. After they identified the body, his home was searched and the girls were ultimately found and rescued! Because of his act of heroism, Seiichirou was hailed as a hero."

"Wow..."

"But the event affected him. Ever since then, he has developed a resentment for most men, especially those from Earth."

"I guess that sort of explains why he was so angry when I called him unworthy of being Miharu's brother" Yukinari thought to himself.

"How horrible" Koyomi commented. "My own father is a native of Earth and he's been nothing but a loving father. He's not like those other men!" she objected upset.

"I know Koyomi, relax. Don't take it personally. Seiichirou will learn one day that not all men from Earth are bad. Some are incredible and really cute" Maharu says nudging Yukinari's arm making him look away and scratch the back of his head in humble embarrassment.

"By the way Maharu, I had no idea you knew Miss Nina!" Yukinari says in surprise. "How long have you known her for?"

"Nina? Oh, we go way back! Actually, we knew each other as little girls here in Seiren" Maharu recalls nostalgically.

"Did you two grow up together?"

"Grew up in the same village. We lost contact at one point though so we spent our teenage years separately" Maharu answers. "It was not long ago that we've gotten back in touch... As it turns out, she and I lived different lives" Maharu finished as though preferring not to speak about the matter anymore. Before Yukinari could inquire further, Maharu resumed. "In any case, the present's what's important, not the past. Also, we're here" Maharu announced after several minutes of walking. All three stand in front of an average-looking, two-story fenced house. Before it stood a Space Travel Agent tapping a PDA.

"Maharu Sena Kanaka?" the worker asked.

"Yes, that's right" Maharu answered.

"Ah, good. We've received your call and, as per your request, the order has been removed."

"Oh well thank you so very much!" Maharu answered with a smile.

"You're very welcome. Just sign here!" the STA worker requested handing over her PDA. Maharu signed using a stylus and returned the PDA. "Thank you very much and have a nice day!" the worker waved and left their presence.

"You too!" Maharu said waving back. "Well, there you have it Yukinari!" Maharu said.

"So, do I go in now?" Yukinari asked taking in the entirety of the house.

"Well yes!" Maharu said. "Go on then!"

"Oh, okay!.. Thank you" Yukinari says approaching the front door of the house. Breathing deeply, he turns the door knob and enters. He closes the door behind him, removes his wig and cloak and looks around. In the dimly-lit living room, he finds an incredible collection of very expensive-looking fancy furniture and a widescreen television as part of a home theater system. "Whoa!" Yukinari gasped looking around. "Who the heck paid for all this?" he thought. He also finds a large and wide table in the kitchen with a board game atop it which looked like it was recently used. Two tall, deep, and wide refrigerators also sat in the kitchen that looked as though they contained half a grocery store within them. "Miharu?" Yukinari calls out but receives no response. He walks throughout the first-floor rooms but does not find the pink-haired Seirenian girl. Instead he finds a pool table set up, oddly enough, inside a small library surrounded by very comfortable chairs. "Is this the right house?" he wonders. "This doesn't seem like I imagined! Not at all!" he said recalling imagining Miharu being held captive against her will in less than favorable conditions. He then proceeds up to the second floor and senses a presence in one of the rooms. He approaches the door, taps it lightly and then finally opens the door himself when he receives no reply. Peering inside the room only illuminated by natural light from a veiled window, Yukinari sees lying on the bed a pink-haired young girl about his age. Her face is resting on her arms which rested on the pillow, her chest expanding and contracting peacefully. He finds her wearing pajamas and approaching her, also finds her in the middle of a light nap making him feel somewhat nostalgic. He questions whether he should wake her or just wait for her to wake up on her own though he does not ponder this for long. The girl begins to stir as though she could sense a presence besides her own in the room. She shifts around and her stomach suddenly rumbles tearing the silence in the room apart. "Hehehe, like the good old days!" Yukinari laughs to himself quietly. "...Now that I think about it, I wonder what went wrong between us?.." he suddenly ponders out of the blue.

To his surprise, Miharu stands seemingly oblivious of Yukinari standing at the opposite side of the bed. She circles the bed murmuring "food" and rubbing her eyes. She is then met with the sight of a blue-haired stranger on her way to the kitchen. She stares at him for an instant before her eyes pop open in complete shock. "Yu-Yukinari!?" she asks aloud.

"Good morning Miharu" Yukinari replies softly. "Nap well?" Miharu, in an outburst of joy, dashes and throws herself into Yukinari's arms.

"Yukinari!" she shouts burying her head into his chest in a powerful hug.

"Miharu" Yukinari simply replies hugging back and caressing her long, pink hair. Yukinari looks at her and says "you haven't changed much since I've last seen you!" noting the same hairstyle. Miharu was also just as short as when they had gone their separate ways months before.

Miharu however finds differences. The chest she buried herself in did not feel as soft as she remembered it. The arms holding her were also harder and she was certain Yukinari had grown slightly taller. "How did you know I was here?" Miharu asked, her head still buried.

"Maharu lead me here" Yukinari answers. "She's the one who lifted the 'order of detainment' that Seiichirou placed on you after all."

"She did?" Miharu asked lifting her head. She looks down at the device around her ankle, Yukinari follows her gaze.

"What's this?" Yukinari asks kneeling and examining the device.

"It's used to make sure I don't leave this place" Miharu explained. "I've tried to take it off but I can't."

"Really?.. Have you been treated well here?" Yukinari asked. "Well treated and cared for?" Yukinari said pushing the digital button on the display that said 'release'. Immediately, the bracelet opens releasing Miharu's ankle.

"Yes, my big brother is very caring though he has a hard time showing it to strangers."

"I'm glad to hear that... Have you tried pushing 'release' on the display by the way?" Yukinari asks sarcastically.

"It doesn't say that" Miharu objected. He presents her the released bracelet and puts it in her hand. "Yukinari! You got it off!"

"Not really, the lady outside deactivated it, I imagine. I think she forgot to take it with her though."

"Yukinari" Miharu says observing Yukinari's face. "Your face, I think it's got cuts on it!"

"Oh, it does? Don't mind it. It's nothing to worry about."

"Did my brother do that to you?" Miharu asked apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize: it's not your fault! After all, I accepted to fight him!"

"You accepted to fight him!?" Miharu asked in disbelief.

"Yep! And I won somehow!" Yukinari humbly revealed to her great surprise.

"Yukinari... What have you been up to?" Miharu asked with great curiosity.

"What have I been up to? Well... where do I begin" Yukinari started. Yukinari began to tell her about his bully problem getting worse, about his joining the UFC and about Nina's brutal training. Then he spoke to her about his first fights and then his confrontation with Shinichi and his thuggish friends. He followed up with his first meeting with Seiichirou and finally with his fight and victory over Miharu's brother.

"Yukinari... You've changed so much!.. You're almost unrecognizable" Miharu says, her palm on Yukinari's cheek. Her thumb caresses his face and she looks into his eyes affectionately. Yukinari returns a warm gaze into hers.

"Yukinari" Miharu whispered longingly.

"Miharu" Yukinari whispers back and slowly, their faces are pulled together at the heat of the moment. Miharu closes her eyes and purses her lips, her heart speeding up. Yukinari purses his lips as well and they kiss.

"Yu-Yukinari" Miharu says in surprise.

"Miharu" Yukinari whispers a second time. Though they kissed, it was not in a way Miharu was expecting. At the last moment, Yukinari avoided her lips and simply pecked her cheek. He then pulled her into an affectionate, relieved hug. "...When we return back to Earth, I want to start over."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Miharu asked fearfully.

"I want to be friends with you again Miharu. I want to take things more slowly this time though. We have a long life ahead of us and I want us to be wonderful friends for as long as possible." Miharu looks up at Yukinari, at first with sadness but then with an expression of understanding.

"I, I understand" she says finally. Yukinari pulls her in again into another affectionate hug and they remain so for several minutes. Yukinari felt glad that Miharu was still as sweet as he remembered her. Miharu was surprised by not only Yukinari's life changes but his greater maturity as well.

"Yukinari, I'm not ready to go back to Earth. I want to go back but.. Your house holds too many memories. Memories of our fights and arguments..."

"Miharu, it's been over three months. I thought you'd be over them all by now" Yukinari says surprised. "And in retrospect, they weren't all that serious if you ask me! Heck, calling them fights would be an exaggeration!" Miharu continues to look at Yukinari uneasily. "Miharu, listen, you take all the time you want" he says placing his hands on her shoulders after looking at the seriousness in her face.

"O-okay, yes" Miharu agrees nodding.

"I'm glad to hear that Miharu!" Yukinari said satisfied. Letting go, he then begins to walk around the room. "By the way Miharu" Yukinari starts as he looked over an expensive computer in the corner of the room, "isn't it lonely being here all by yourself? It's not right to be sealed up in here all alone!"

"Not at all!" Miharu answers. "Just yesterday, the girls and I were playing all sorts of games! Sundays are movie nights and on weekdays, I always walk to school with friends!"

"You and... the girls?" Yukinari repeats puzzled.

"The neighbors are very friendly! They often come over and we have tons of fun! And sometimes big brother comes over and we always go out somewhere to eat and shop! A few days ago, we went to go see a fireworks show! I ate so many caramel apples!" Miharu said remembering excitedly. "The fireworks were so loud and pretty too!"

"You mean Seiichirou?" Yukinari asks not believing Seiichirou to be the kind of guy who could show affection.

"Yes, big brother Seiichirou!" Miharu confirms.

"So he comes over?"

"Yep! Though he's been coming back with injuries on his body recently!" Miharu notes. "He tells me he's a champion fighter but I get worried all the time he shows up like that."

"He comes by injured?" Yukinari asks knowing full well why.

"Yeah, but I always nurse him back to health! That way, he's ready to go back and win more matches!" Miharu said proudly showing off her nurse outfit and first aid kit. "There's nothing better than seeing him back in tip-top shape ready to win more championships!"

"You, you don't say" Yukinari mutters feeling like cracking up though not from finding anything humorous.

"Yep! And take a look" Miharu said walking to the window. Pulling open the curtains, the sight of a large court comes into clear view. "We have a tennis court in the backyard! Big brother was worried I was overeating and had it built to keep me in shape! Me and the girls always play games in the back. We play pan pon ping and badminton and on hot days, we play water sports! When it's colder, we build igloos and snowmen and have snowball fights! It's never boring in the backyard!" Miharu said smiling and giggling. "Yukinari, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Miharu, I need to sit down for a bit" Yukinari said rubbing his temple and taking a seat on Miharu's bed. For some reason, learning that Miharu was clearly in no danger or distress made him feel dizzy. As a matter of fact, she was being treated with great care, pampered almost with as much food as a small grocery store. All this time, he had been so worried for Miharu's well-being and learning that all his worrying and anxiety had been pointless made the cuts and bruising on his body hurt noticeably more. First it was Miss Nina's revelation and now this. At that moment, he wondered what else could be in store for him. "So all this time..." he thought to himself. "I, I'm sure I'll look back on all this and laugh one day" he told himself chuckling. "Soon I hope! For my sanity's sake."

"Are you feeling okay Yukinari? Are you hungry?" Miharu asked looking at his fatigued state. "You want to eat something? That always makes me feel better!"

"N-no Miharu, thank you..." Yukinari said standing up. "...Miharu, you take as much time as you want here on Seiren! And when you're ready to come back to us on Earth, don't you hesitate to visit!" Yukinari says proceeding out of the room. "I'll see you later Miharu."

"Y-yes!" Miharu agrees waving. Yukinari exits and Miharu takes a seat on her bed. She looks outside and sees Yukinari exiting the house. She watches him meeting up with the STA worker from before who accepts the device that was attached to Miharu's ankle, the worker seemingly embarrassed bowing her head. She knew for certain that Yukinari wasn't Yukinari anymore and deep inside, she couldn't wait to go back to his house and reunite with everyone else.

Yukinari gathers his things and together with Maharu and Koyomi proceeds inside the house and to the bath room.

"Maharu, Koyomi, I'm ready to go home now" Yukinari explains.

"Without Miharu?" Maharu asks.

"No, she'll join us again back home on Earth eventually but we've spoken and she has said she needs some time before she can go back to Earth."

"I see. So does this mean you and Miharu..." Maharu continues.

"We're friends again but this time... I wish to stay friends with her."

"I see. So how's your break-up treating you?" Maharu asks.

"It's been educational" Yukinari says simply.

"Well" Maharu goes on sighing, "that's too bad. You two looked so cute together."

"Yukinari.. will we ever meet again?" Koyomi asks shyly.

"Of course Koyomi! What kind of question is that? You both are always welcome to my home!"

"Thank goodness" Koyomi says smiling and begins to open a portal in the bath room.

"So you're not staying over?" Yukinari asked.

"I'm afraid we can't, Tomoka and I" Koyomi reveals. "STA duties."

"I see... We'll meet up again, don't worry" Yukinari assures. Before Yukinari could climb in however, Maharu grabs him and pulls him into a hug.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" she says squeezing him tightly to her enormous bosom cutting off his breathing.

"Maharu, It's not like you or I won't see each other again" he says pushing away and looking up at her innocently.

"Ohh! You're too cute!" she says cutting off his breathing again. She pulls him away but not before whispering into his ear "if you ever change your mind Yukinari, let me know. I wanna learn what else has changed under your clothes!" in a highly seductive, sensual way before pushing him into the tub where his vision becomes overwhelmed with light forcing his eyes shut. The next instant he opens them he finds himself in his own home in his own bath room rising out of the waters in his bath.

"I, I'm home!.." he realizes quickly looking around the bath room. He immediately climbs out with his club uniform in hand and starts to dry himself before stopping and deciding it best to bathe now that he was soaked. He removes his wet clothing and scrubs down. After the portal had gone, he enters his tub filled with warm water and feels at first a stinging sensation then a gradual relief for various sore spots around his body. He reflects on his fight with Seiichirou and how Seiichirou had rescued Miharu from an Earthling abductor and how this had lead Seiichirou to hate Earthling men. "He seems like an alright guy then" Yukinari thought. "According to Miharu, he's treated her really well! Wonderfully actually!.. I guess the joke's on me then?.." he thought humorously. "...I hope we can be friends one day then... Who knows. The guy does hate us guys from Earth... Still, whether he likes it or not, Miharu's coming back." Yukinari lies there submerged up to his neck as he felt an exhausted lethargy crawl up his legs, over his waist, across his torso, and finally his tired eyes. Before his heavy eyelids could drag him into unconsciousness however, Yukinari forces himself out, dries off, and gets into a pair of boxers. He proceeds to his own room and, out of worry, phones the club where he is answered by Nina. The head of the club tells him that Lisa and Kirie have long since left for home and that Tomoka had been picked up by Koyomi. Yukinari hangs up relieved and stretches out across his bed, closes his eyes for a few hours out of exhaustion hoping to nap off some of the soreness he was still feeling. Though he was still feeling the fight earlier that day, the coolness of his bed against his cleansed, bare back eased his breathing, relaxed his rattled mind, and knowing it was done and over with lulled him into a short nap. 


	19. Chapter 19

Season 3 Episode 43: Bravo Fateful Encounter!

The day had proven exhausting for Yukinari: having to fight Miharu's older brother because he was worried for Miharu's welfare only to find out that she was not in the least in any kind of danger was physically and mentally taxing. In addition, it turned out the whole thing was in a way a product of Miss Nina's dark, sadistic sense of humor. Regardless, it felt good to know Miharu was okay and his self-esteem was riding high. It felt almost like the whole thing was part of Miss Nina's plan all along... A way of getting him motivated?.. Knowing what he knows now, part of him wouldn't put it past her to be honest.

Whatever the case, what he felt he needed at the moment was a bit of sleep. The nap he was in the middle of was certainly helping but it wasn't enough to fully rest him. In the comfort of his own bed, he began suffering a very potent appetite. He felt a hunger that, despite his tired body and his aching joints, forced him back up to his sore feet. After getting into something within arm's reach, he heads downstairs and approaches his fridge. Rummaging through for a moment, he pulls out a bento box of brown rice, chicken, and umeboshi that, if he had to guess, Kirie had prepared. After heating it up, he begins eating away as he began walking around his house, box in one hand, chopsticks in the other all the while still enduring a few lingering pains. Moving about the first floor, for some odd reason, he feels as though something were out of the ordinary or as if there were some presence lingering about. He approaches his kitchen table but finds nothing out of place. His television is as he remembers it, his bed in his room only lightly disturbed by his rest but still his bed nonetheless. Regardless, he couldn't shake the suspicion that something or someone was nearby...

Just outside his house, before the front door, a buxom young brunette paced back and forth nervously. "I, I should just go in there and, and check up on him. Miharu will be in there too" Kirie thinks to herself. She rests her finger on the door bell but stops short of ringing it. "I, I can't do it. I've admitted my feelings to him! I don't know if I can face him!" she sighs in a frustrated embarrassment and begins to retreat to her house next door. Before she can make it off of the Sasaki premises, the front door swings wide open.

"Good evening" Yukinari greets out his front door startling the retreating brunette. Kirie stops dead in her tracks and turns around slowly ashamed she had been discovered. "Yukinari... Hello" she says with difficulty.

"Hey Kirie. What's up?"

"Y-you caught me before I got to ring the door bell" Kirie explains, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"I did? Looks like you were walking away though" Yukinari observed.

"I, I was just going to get something from my house" Kirie excused swiftly.

"You were?" Yukinari asked throwing a glance next door. "Well, go on then." At this, Kirie stiffens.

"...O-on second thought, I don't really have to" Kirie excuses again.

"Oh, okay. You wanna come in or something?" Yukinari asks scratching the back of his head.

"...S-sure" Kirie agrees almost on impulse and she proceeds inside. "Why did I just agree to this?" she immediately wondered as the front door closed behind her.

"I was just eating dinner Kirie. Hope you don't mind" Yukinari explains as he proceeds upstairs.

"Not at all" Kirie answered as she followed.

"You hungry Kirie? You're welcome to my fridge if you're hungry" Yukinari offers recalling his manners. He takes a seat on his bed, his dinner set on his lap.

"No. Thank you" Kirie answered politely. "I'm not hungry."

"Oh, okay then" Yukinari responds. An awkward silence begins between the two. During this time, Yukinari recalls Kirie admitting her feelings for him and how she was in love with him. Though no words were exchanged at that very moment, Yukinari could sense Kirie was recalling the exact same thing. Hoping to mitigate the awkwardness, Kirie quickly thinks over what to speak to Yukinari about. It does not take her long.

"Yukinari" Kirie starts.

"Yeah?"

"I, I wanted to apologize for not being there for you at the opening" Kirie said taking a seat on Yukinari's office chair, her eyes shifting uneasily between Yukinari and anything else in the room. "I was just feeling so anxious. But now when I think back, you must have felt so much worse. I'm really sorry" she apologized.

"It's okay Kirie, I understand. It's not unlike you: I've seen how you get when you watch your teams playing. Hehehe... Also, it's over and done with so it doesn't matter" Yukinari directed at Kirie who sighed in relief.

"I'm glad.. So where's Miharu?" Kirie then asked glancing at the door.

"Seiren" Yukinari answers.

"W-what do you mean Seiren?" Kirie asks. "She didn't come back with you?"

"She's decided to stay a little while longer in Seiren. She said she wasn't ready to come live on Earth again just yet."

"Really? For how long?"

"I don't know. I hope not too long. As long as she needs. And I hope that we can all go to the way we all used to be. For the most part."

"For the most part?" Kirie wondered.

"I mean I want Miharu to be our friend again" Yukinari explains. "Like old times."

"So I guess this means she was okay? She wasn't hurt or anything?"

"Not at all. She was better than okay!" Yukinari answers chuckling. "She was very well cared for. She had two refrigerators in the house and had a tennis court in the backyard and even a computer!" Yukinari said to Kirie's astonishment. "She has friends back home and movie nights and would even help nurse Seiichirou back to health whenever he was worn out! Hehe! Hahaha!"

"Is this something to laugh about? I mean you were so worried about her" Kirie voiced with concern.

"I need to laugh Kirie" Yukinari said. "Sometimes you need to find the humor in things" Yukinari finished with a half-forced grin.

"If you say so..." Kirie agreed. "...How should we welcome her back?" she asked looking away in thought.

"The usual: just take her out to eat somewhere. You and I both know she loves that more than anything" Yukinari recalled.

"Right" Kirie agreed. "So you could take her out somewhere. I'm sure she'll love that."

"Me? Don't you mean we?" Yukinari asked.

"We?.." Kirie repeated. "..Yukinari, I thought you were getting back together with her" she said surprised. Yukinari gently shakes his head.

"No Kirie, I'm afraid not" Yukinari answered. Kirie did not know how to respond so, sensing her confusion, Yukinari went on. "Kirie, when I saw her again after so long, I realized something" Yukinari explains as Kirie leans in, her interest piqued.

"What?"

"I realized I was over her" Yukinari reveals. Kirie was taken aback but she says nothing since she could tell Yukinari still had a bit more to say. He continues. "There was a time when I could not even fathom ever not having feelings for her but then we broke up and after seeing her again... there I was... I was over her" Yukinari finishes.

"I'm sorry to hear that Yukinari" Kirie laments.

"Don't be Kirie. It's probably for the best.. Besides, all that stuff's in the past. I would prefer it to stay there actually" Yukinari said dismissively. "It's the present and the future that matters more" he declares. Kirie nods in agreement. "...Hey, where's Lisa?" Yukinari suddenly asks. "She was with you right?"

"Lisa? Oh, yeah, she was with me but then Mr. and Mrs. Fukuyama demanded her back to the estate. Her own bodyguards saw to it that she get back home. Apparently, her parents weren't too happy that she didn't attend the meeting they had scheduled."

"Wow. Lisa's parents seem pretty strict huh?"

"They're pretty cold and detached in general, in Fukuyama's own words" Kirie remarked. "They're all business. From what I could tell, neither Lisa nor Kazuharu had very good relationships with them. I know Kazuharu could have used a better relationship with his parents. Money couldn't really buy him happiness."

"I guess I should feel lucky my parents are out of the house then. Got the whole house to myself" Yukinari said somewhat self-congratulatory.

"Right" Kirie agreed. "You seem in high spirits."

"I guess. Is that bad Kirie?" Yukinari asked.

"No, not at all. You should be in high spirits!" Kirie said smiling. "That must have been a tough fight. And you won! On a related note, you must be pretty sore right now."

"Yeah, actually I am Kirie so I took a bath and napped a bit hoping it would go away but it didn't do much good" Yukinari revealed as he flexed his pained limbs. "My knuckles are kind of hot."

"I could go get you a cold pack if you want. That always helps me when I'm sore" Kirie offered.

"Two cold packs should be enough. My wrists are bothering me the most" Yukinari said flexing his hands.

"You have some right?" Kirie asked.

"I have a few in my fridge."

"I'll go get 'em" Kirie said.

"Thanks Kirie" Yukinari said and Kirie headed downstairs. In the kitchen, she pulls the cold packs out of the fridge.

"Here they are" she said to herself but she does not immediately head back up. "He, he's upstairs... And we're all alone" Kirie reminds herself. "Wh-what should I do?" she pondered urgently. Her face warming up, she presses the cold packs to her cheeks for a few moments. "What exactly do I expect of him? He already knows how I feel about him.. Maybe I'm being silly... I should just say good night and go home" she said with a sigh.

Back upstairs, Yukinari reflected: "...I, I can't believe I won... I actually won!.. I can't believe I beat a guy like Seiichirou!" he thought swelling with pride as his victory was still sinking in. He looked at his hands and though they were mildly swollen, they felt like they were capable of anything. He didn't know if he had ever felt such confidence in the past and, out of sheer joy, he balled his hands into fists. At that moment, he felt he could take on the whole world as he punched the air. "Ow..." Yukinari yelped as his worn knuckles reminded him of their strain. With that, he finishes the last of the bento and lies back down atop his bed. "I needed that" he muttered rubbing his stomach.

His victory was not the only thing occupying Yukinari's mind then but he was also thinking back to Kirie's confession. It was nothing short of flattering knowing Kirie had broken up with the handsome and wealthy Kazuharu because she was in fact in love with Yukinari. As complimentary as it was, it also troubled him. Yukinari feared Kirie might expect something from him beyond a simple friendship and he was not very keen on entering another relationship.

Back downstairs, Kirie takes a deep breath before returning back up to Yukinari's room in a nervous stride. She re-enters to find Yukinari having finished his dinner. "Here you go Yukinari" Kirie announced as she approached Yukinari on his bed and handed over the cold packs.

"Thanks Kirie" Yukinari said as he accepted the packs. He places them along the length of the back of his hands and almost instantly felt alleviated. "Oh yeah, that's better."

"Good to hear" Kirie said sitting back down on the same office chair. "Leave 'em on for a while."

"Sure" Yukinari agreed. "It's nothing too serious anyways Kirie. After a little more rest, maybe another nap, and with a full stomach now, I'm sure I'll recover in no time" Yukinari said enjoying how soft and cool his bed felt. "By the way Kirie, did you prepare the bento I just ate or was it Lisa?" Yukinari asked.

"Yeah, I believe I did so..." Kirie confirms after glancing at the box at the foot of the bed.

"Really? Thanks Kirie! It was pretty good. Really hit the spot" Yukinari complimented. "That whole experience really took a lot out of me so it was nice to put something back in, y'know?"

"I'm glad you liked it" Kirie responds. "Mom's been helping me with my cooking though so I can't take all the credit.. Kind of embarrassing knowing now how easy it actually was..." Kirie admitted with a hint of shame.

"I'll have to thank Mrs. Kojima too then" Yukinari said. "Remind me to thank Lisa also. You two have been really supportive."

"It was nothing Yukinari, really. Pales in comparison to what you've been up to. How you've been changing yourself I mean. I'm proud of you" Kirie says, a warm sincerity in her voice. "We should throw some sort of celebration" she suggested.

"Oh come on Kirie. I think you and Lisa have done greater things! Lisa's got her trippy magic and you have those awesome, flashy kung fu moves" Yukinari praised. "All I did was fight some guy. There was padding no less... Wasn't that big of a deal to be honest."

"Yukinari, don't sell yourself short like that: none of that changes the fact that you took Seiichirou on one-on-one. That took guts: he was a pretty intimidating guy and let's not forget when you faced those two bastards at once and you hit them good! I never thought I'd ever see that out of you!" Kirie says in admiration. "I was afraid you would get hurt but you defended yourself well enough Yukinari. I still remember when I'd have to stick up for you and now it seems you'll be just fine. Without anyone's help..."

"Yeah, it does seem that way now doesn't it?" Yukinari carelessly acknowledged, his ego stroked.

"...I guess, you don't really need me as much as you used to, huh?"

"I guess not" Yukinari answered coldly, his head resting on his hands as he stared at the ceiling mulling over Kirie's words and feeling like he was about to fall asleep. "Time changes us all I guess" Yukinari said with a slight yawn. Kirie says nothing, her palms grasping each other firmly. A long, drawn out silence follows, the sound of the clock on the wall the only thing permeating the still air.

"...Yukinari..."

"Hmm?"

"...What am I to you?" Kirie finally challenged.

"Huh? A friend, of course" Yukinari answered readily.

"Is that all I am?"

Yukinari becomes uncomfortable as he recalls Kirie's confession much earlier in the day. "..A very good friend" he responds awkwardly as he turns her way. Another long silence ensues between the two. "You're very important to me Kirie. Really really important. I mean, we grew up together!" Yet another quiet during which Kirie felt as though she was being turned down.

"I'm glad to hear that Yukinari... So now that I know you're doing well, I'll be going home now" Kirie announces abruptly. "You do need your rest after all that.. I'll see you later then, I guess."

"O-okay... I'll see you tomorrow Kirie" Yukinari answers lying back down. Kirie stands and proceeds to the door where she rests her hand atop the door knob. She stops just short of turning it and starts to wish and hope that Yukinari would stop her and ask her to stay. A sense of rejection surfaced, her eyes begin to burn and she covers her face with her hand as no such request comes, as no hand grasps her shoulder. She turns the door knob and pulls with no success. The door does not budge. She immediately grasps the door knob with both hands and pulls wanting to get away from Yukinari for the first time in her life. Her emotions were not reciprocated and she could not help but suspect that Yukinari's cold words were his way of turning her advances down. She fails in opening the door and stands there helplessly, a few tears welling up in her eyes and she hopes that Yukinari fails to see her in such a state. Her emotions could only complicate further now as she was beginning to feel stupid for letting all this to get to her. She quickly recognizes that Yukinari was free to choose who he wished to get involved with and with that in mind, she composes herself, wipes her eyes dry and vows to get over her feelings again like a number of times before.

"I guess I should be used to this after all... Wouldn't be the first time" she thought. Taking a deep breath, she again attempts to open the door but still, it would not budge. At last, in a more composed state, she finally notices Yukinari leaning against the door holding it firmly shut.

"Y-Yukinari, what are you" she murmurs, Yukinari's eyes directed at her in amused sympathy.

"You can be such a softie at times Kirie" Yukinari said with a chuckle.

"Wh-what?" Kirie whispers with a tremble in her voice. Yukinari smiles.

"What I mean by that is for a girl who can beat people the way she can, she sure can be very soft too." Kirie this time does not make a sound. She felt somewhat confused, something Yukinari sensed.

"Maybe I'm not being clear enough? Kirie, what I'm trying to say is I find it funny how you've always gone on and on about how I needed to be stronger and about how I should stand up for myself. Telling me how you believe in me when even I was having trouble believing in myself" Kirie says nothing and continues a mesmerized stare. "But rarely have you ever said anything about your needs. For a long time it was always I who benefited from your support... But not once have you ever mentioned YOU needing ME" Yukinari scratches the back of his head getting a little embarrassed. He could not recall ever opening up like this before and neither could an increasingly surprised and charmed Kirie. "You know, for once I'd like for you to rely on me a little more. You're part of the reason why I've done what I've done. Because I wanted to stop disappointing myself and disappointing you. I wanted to protect you and make you proud of me! And I have to say, I don't think there's anything more satisfying than hearing you say that you're proud of m-" Suddenly, throwing caution to the wind, Kirie halts Yukinari's talking, her arms wrapping around him as she presses her lips against his. Their mouths break away and through startled eyes Yukinari stares back at the brunette. "K-Kirie, what are you doing!?" Yukinari gasps in shock.

"I... I don't know..." an equally shocked Kirie answers realizing this was the first time she had ever kissed a guy. "I-I'm so sorry Yukinari, I, I shouldn't have done that I-" Kirie was quick to apologize clumsily, her hands over her mouth. For as long as they've both known each other, they often thought of each other as friends. Any thoughts of romance between the two would only prove fleeting, more so in Yukinari's case. Now that Kirie had seized the first move, Yukinari didn't know what to do or how to react. He stood there, looking at her, some red on his face and she did too, even more red on her face than Yukinari's. It was only just now, after knowing her for so long, he notices the way Kirie was dressed: she had arrived at his front door dressed in a black spaghetti-strap tank top and a thigh-high denim skirt with a frill hem, a white belt holding it up. But more importantly, his eyes fell upon how much skin he could see.

Truth be told, Yukinari felt scared: he was scared because the sensation of Kirie's lips pressing against his own felt exhilarating, a rush of adrenaline throughout his body that drained him of all his exhaustion. Looking at Kirie, he could tell she had felt that same jolt of energy. Not only that, he realized Kirie had not failed to notice him looking her over. "Kirie-" Yukinari began thinking she was about to get angry at him for his wandering eyes.

"Yukinari" Kirie said simply letting Yukinari know she was not about to scold him. On the contrary, she wanted to feel his lips again. Considering how close the two stood to each other, it would not have taken much. She presses up against him suddenly and he reacts catching her by her waist. He takes great care not to place his hands too high up or down too low as Kirie buries her head in his shoulder, her arms tucked in between them both.

"Kirie" Yukinari repeated as he did not fail to notice how soft and slender Kirie's waist felt in his hands and how nice her hair smelled, a subtle peach scent. He holds her firmly appreciating how fragile she seemed despite how fierce a person she could become. Kirie raises her head, her eyes seeking his. His eyes travel from Kirie's bare arm up to her exposed shoulder, across it to the base of her neck and up to her chin, her moist lips, her slender nose and finally his eyes meet hers. His heart was racing and he could tell that hers was too. Undeniably, she wanted to kiss him again and, admittedly, he wanted to kiss her back. He wanted to experience that rush again. Their mouths approach once more, instances of hesitation peppered in their approach. Their lips meet and they stand in place before their mouths break away and restart another embrace. Once, twice, three times they kissed for several moments before parting.

"...Yu-Yukinari, I'm scared" a red-faced, dazed Kirie breathes anxiously during a brief pause.

Yukinari offers no reply, he too harboring his own uncertainties. Before they could both regain their senses, their kissing session eagerly begins anew, Kirie's hands hanging off of Yukinari's shoulders and Yukinari holding her hourglass figure close. They stop kissing after several dizzying minutes and become lost in each other's gaze. Kirie sees a more confident Yukinari with no evidence of any allergy, any timidness, any hesitation, a Yukinari she had often hoped to meet one day. Yukinari in contrast sees Kirie like he'd never seen her before: that plain little fierce friend he'd grown up with had blossomed into an attractive, full-fledged woman.

He kisses her again, his hands caressing her back enjoying how silk-smooth her skin felt. Breaking away again, both Yukinari and Kirie realize that, in the ecstasy of kissing her and feeling her exposed flesh, Yukinari had accidentally pulled the straps to Kirie's top down her shoulders. Yukinari expected Kirie to react, he expected her to quickly retreat and fix her top after hitting him, calling him a pervert and running off. But she didn't. She just stood making neither a move to cover up nor voicing any protest as if awaiting Yukinari's next move.

At this point, Yukinari felt he was losing control, as though he were about to cross a line from which there would be no turning back. He wanted to stop but the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach urged him onward and forward, the sight before him much too tempting. Slowly but with great care, he seizes the loose straps to Kirie's tank top and begins sliding them even further down across her elbows and ultimately all the way across her arms.

Her top was down now, her pitifully undersized bra exposed, bright and inviting floral lace adorning it. "Yukinari" Kirie murmurs blushing and she holds her breath in anticipation. She did not wait long: at once, Yukinari began to massage her supple and perky chest. As he did so, he kisses her and she kisses him back. Their mouths joined, he slips her bra up with the greatest of care exposing very delicate flesh to the open air. Their kiss breaks and Kirie exhales, Yukinari's hold on her tightens and he looks at her and she looks back, her face red, her breathing irregular, her expression receptive as if knowing exactly and fully accepting of what would surely come next.

Yukinari had seen Kirie in various states of undress in the past but never like this: unlike before, this instance was no accident nor would there be any retaliation. These were extraordinary circumstances: Yukinari had Kirie's consent and she awaited his next move. With that, he fondles her bountiful chest and he begins to cover the great valley of her breasts with kisses right before the touch of his lips proceeded further downward to the most intimate surfaces of her chest.

"Yukinari!..." Kirie whispers urgently, Yukinari's arms wrapping around her tightly like vices from which she had neither hope nor desire to free herself. He tastes that delicate flesh like he were trying to take away fears, doubts, worries she had ever carried during their time together. Kirie was never one to tolerate perverse behavior but now, in the heat of the moment, she felt herself melting in Yukinari's arms. As she surrenders to Yukinari's whim, he could feel her knees starting to give way, he holds her up and maneuvers her to his bed nearby atop which she collapses.

A million thoughts and emotions raced through Yukinari's mind, most prominent among them were Kirie's infamous words: "Yukinari, I'm in love with you." His breathing proved erratic as he looked down at the brunette in his room. Intoxicated by the allure and raw state of the woman atop his bed, he positions himself above her. He gripped at his bed sheets tightly, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He could sense that Kirie was under a similar tension, both past the point of no return.

With her hair strewn messily atop Yukinari's bed, Kirie felt her body burning hot. "W-what's going on!?.. M-my body f-feels like... it's on fire!" Kirie thought as she felt the satisfying sensation of Yukinari pressing down on her. "Yu-Yukinari... this is.. m-my first time" a blushing Kirie tried to whisper in between rushed breaths but to no avail. Her arms grasping Yukinari's back, her neck falling prey to his lips, she surrenders to the intensity of it all. Yukinari, overcome by a wild and primal masculine instinct, ravages her body, the brunette making no move to hinder him. No matter how hard either tried, neither could tear themselves away from the other, their bodies ablaze, their fires intermingling. Finally, he takes in the incredible beauty of his childhood friend one last time, a beautiful woman who had longed for his love a great length of time and he suffers a terrible regret as though he had neglected her...

That night became the first of its kind for both of them. Yukinari wasn't sure if he could ever put into words how grateful he really felt for Kirie deep inside. However, he was perfectly capable of showing her how he felt. Oblivious to the consequences, the whole of the world vanishing around them, he let her know that she occupied a special place in his life in a display of passion neither could ever have foreseen or would ever forget...

...

...Yukinari resided for a very long time in a deep, restful sleep. He awakes to a cool and quiet morning with the sun just under the horizon and the morning light illuminates the curtains in his room making them glow a dark, cold blue color. The sound of the ticking clock on his wall accompanied the sound of birds chirping outside as he closed his eyes once more hoping to get a bit more rest. Doing so, he was briefly visited by memories of his fight against Seiichirou, winning it with a mix of cunning and luck only to find out that his painful exertions were largely unnecessary. Meeting up with Miharu only to find out she was in no danger or distress in the least made him feel that a good rest was all the more needed. What happened after his returning home following his meeting with Miharu was when his memory became fuzzy but he did not want to bother recalling that now. All he wanted was to go back to sleep.

Going back to sleep should not have been difficult but he couldn't help but be distracted by the smell of a peach shampoo tickling his nose and a light weight pressing down on his chest. This weight, whatever it was, breathed slowly and peacefully, its breathing wafting his chest. He reaches for this disturbing weight and could feel that it had hair. He looks at it through half-lidded eyes and finds Kirie's head resting on his chest. He finds one of his arms wrapped around her, her chest pressing down on his ribs and at this his eyes were forced wide open. As he realizes the circumstances, he finds that he and Kirie were both naked save for the black tank top wrapped around her waist and her denim skirt with nothing underneath. Yukinari, resisting every urge to scream out in shock, gently lifts her off of himself and sits up. Breaking out in one of the coldest, most nervous sweats of his life, he begins to make sense of the situation he had just found himself in.

"Okay... Re-remain calm Yukinari" he whispers to himself as he holds his head in his hands. "What in the hell happened last night!?" he demanded desperately. Immediately, he is visited by vivid images of he and Kirie in each other's embrace, kissing passionately for what could have easily been 10, 20, or even 30 minutes. Memories of his body laying atop Kirie's come forth, her arms wrapped around him, his arms around her. He remembers not being able to tear himself away from her, their breathing frantic, and in the ecstasy of Kirie's skin, he recalls one of his hands slowly encroaching higher and higher up her thigh. "Shit!" In near panic, his racing heart sinking, he looks into the waste basket by his bed and sighs out of relief at what he finds.

"Thank goodness" he thinks to himself glad he wouldn't have to be looking forward to fatherhood soon. Looking at Kirie atop his bed, he finds her lying perfectly still. She seemed like a vicious lioness rendered completely harmless by her slumber but he didn't look at Kirie long, her state of undress forcing him to look away from shame. "This is bad.. What the hell got into me?" Yukinari wondered. "Into us!?" He finds his clothes at the foot of his bed and quickly puts them on. He proceeds to his living room sofa and sits racked with worry. "This has to be a dream. This can only be a dream! How can't this be a dream!?" he thought urgently. After a time, he had no other alternative but to acknowledge this was reality. He then worried how Kirie might react: she would either murder him brutally or... No. In truth, he had difficulty imagining any other scenarios.

Back in his room, Kirie was just waking up. In her half-awake stupor, she does not fail to notice how good the blanket felt against her skin. It was not unusual for her to feel so much of the bed against her skin considering she often slept wearing very little but it did not take long for her to notice that all she had on was her tank top and skirt with nothing being worn underneath. Immediately, fully awake now by a sense of urgency, she tears the blanket away to confirm her state of undress. She tried to stay calm and at first thought she had simply fallen asleep that way but then she noticed the room was not hers nor was the bed. With little delay she recognizes they were both Yukinari's and just as swiftly, she recalls the night before: her kissing Yukinari, his kissing her back and her collapsing atop his bed in a dazzled ecstasy. In frightening detail, she remembers how solid his arms felt wrapping around her, his lips assaulting so much of her neck and chest, her fingers scratching at his back and his hands exploring her body. "KYYAAAaaaaaahhhhh!" she suddenly lets out.

"There she goes" Yukinari thought as the dangerous brunette awakened. Out of mild fear, Yukinari debated whether to go to her or let her come to him but ultimately decided on the former. Forcing himself to his feet, he proceeds upstairs. He paces nervously back and forth before his room before finally knocking on the door cautiously expecting Kirie to burst out violently. "Kirie, are you awake?" Yukinari whispers finding no other thing to ask. Before he could ask again, he hears the door lock loudly and abruptly.

"G-go away! Go away!" he heard Kirie exclaim from inside and he could tell she was in some state of shock.

"Kirie, we need to talk" Yukinari declared but he hears no response. He then tries to turn the door knob only to find it was locked. "Kirie, please open up." Again, no response. Finding no other course of action, he decides to give Kirie a bit of time. "Kirie, if you need me, I'll be downstairs. Please come down whenever you're ready" he said. Before beginning his descent to the first floor, he hears the door to his room unlock letting him know Kirie might be ready to talk. He pushes the door open very slowly and finds Kirie curled up into a ball under the blankets. "Kirie?" Yukinari asks standing by the door. "May I come in?" Kirie, too stunned to answer, does not speak. "I'm coming in Kirie" Yukinari declares approaching his bed slowly and taking a seat at the edge of it. "Kirie, I know what you're thinking..."

"Yukinari" Kirie begins to say under the covers, "did we.. you and I?.."

"...Ye-yeah" Yukinari revealed with a struggle after which he could feel Kirie turning red under the covers. He couldn't blame her though: admitting to it made him a bit red in the face as well.

"Yukinari, p-please step out. I want to get dressed" Kirie requests refusing to come out of her curled state.

"Yes, of course" he said exiting the room and closing the door slowly and calmly. "She seems to be taking it better than I expected" he thought and walked back downstairs to his living room.

"What do I do!? What do I do!? What do I do!?" Kirie panicked rubbing her hair under the covers. "Wha-what if I get pregnant!? My mom will kill me! My dad will kill me!" she exclaimed in alarm. Spotting the waste basket beside the bed, she immediately looks into it and breathes a sigh of relief. "Th-thank goodness... I'm not ready to be a mother" she thinks to herself before curling into a ball underneath the covers again.

Summoning great willpower, Kirie got out of her protective covers and gathered her undergarments, shame hitting her with every article of clothing she lifted. Back into her outfit moments later, after a very long, deep breath, Kirie walks out fully clothed and proceeds downstairs where Yukinari finds her looking incredibly calm, especially for Kirie. Daintily, she takes a seat next to Yukinari in a rigid manner. The two do not speak for what felt like ages.

"Kirie, about last night" Yukinari begins trying to dispel the awkwardness and looking for the right words to tell the brunette.

"Relax Yukinari, I'm not mad or anything. What happened to us was... nothing to be ashamed of" Kirie says taking Yukinari completely by surprise. "It's the sort of thing people do when... they care very deeply about each other... so... it's not a bad thing" Kirie says in a manner as if she were trying to convince herself and she was still unsure what to make of the situation.

"I, I suppose you're right" Yukinari agreed glad she wasn't pummeling him. A long quiet arrives. Kirie then closes her eyes and hangs her head in thought.

"So, what now?" Yukinari asked through the pressing silence.

"Yukinari, we have to keep this between us" Kirie answers urgently. "If this gets out, things could get complicated."

"Yes, you're right" Yukinari said. "But now what?" he wondered. Did this mean they were both boyfriend and girlfriend now? It should only naturally follow... But he's had a girlfriend of sorts before and it did not end well: he didn't want that to happen between Kirie and himself... "Kirie" Yukinari begins uncomfortably, "are we still friends?" As soon as the question had left his mouth, he knew the answer: there was no going back.

"I want us to be more Yukinari" Kirie responds, her hands grasping each other atop her lap. "I want to be with you" she declares with earnest eyes. "But Lisa and Miharu... Things could get ugly if they find out" Kirie said. Regardless, her desires and worries were conveyed: she wanted more with Yukinari but, like Yukinari, she feared the risks such a thing entailed. Her and Yukinari's relationship with Lisa and Miharu were under threat. Not to mention if things went south, her relationship with Yukinari could also be ruined. "Yukinari, we have to keep this to ourselves" Kirie repeats failing to find another way.

Lisa and Miharu also weighed on Yukinari's mind and he, like Kirie, worried for what effect this development might have on the two. "I understand Kirie... But for how long must we keep this secret?" The question was a heavy one.

"I don't know" Kirie admits with difficulty. "For as long as we have to..."

"...For as long as we have to" Yukinari repeated uneasily. After a moment of shame and self-pity, Kirie stands after realizing the time.

"Yukinari, I gotta get going home" she declared. "Mom's probably expecting me back soon."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry Yukinari, I just need to go check in with her. She might have made breakfast so she'll definitely be waiting for me. I'll be back in a moment, I promise" she said. "Actually, you can come over if you want. Mom always makes enough for company" Kirie offered.

"No thanks Kirie, I'm not hungry" Yukinari said.

"Oh.. Okay" Kirie said disappointed. "If you'd like, I'll save you some breakfast then" Kirie offered again.

"Okay, yeah" Yukinari agreed. He may not have been hungry now but he certainly loved Mrs. Kojima's cooking. "Thanks Kirie. Remind me to thank her too."

"I will. And you're welcome" Kirie said with a smile. "I'll be going then. I'll see you in a bit."

Yukinari stands, looking the brunette in the eye. As though by instinct, they embrace in a tight hug in an attempt to reassure each other. With some hesitation, they break away moments later.

"I'll see you later Kirie" Yukinari said watching the brunette make her way out.

"I'll see you later too" Kirie returned, her eyes not breaking away from Yukinari's until finally, she had closed the front door. Now outside, she heads straight to her house. "What should we do? If Lisa and Miharu find out about this, it can only mean trouble" Kirie wondered as she entered her home. As expected, her mother was busy preparing breakfast. "Good morning mom. I'm home" she was quick to greet her mother in the kitchen.

"Good morning Kirie" Kirie's mother, a woman named Misuzu Kojima in her early thirties with shoulder-length dark brown hair greeted back. "Sleep over at your friend's?"

"Ye-yeah" Kirie answered hoping not to go into detail though as she stood there, she was almost tempted to tell her mother what had happened. Kirie was just enough of a tomboy to keep it to herself however.

"Have fun?"

"S-sure" Kirie answered not looking her mother's way.

"That's good to hear. Breakfast is almost ready by the way. Hope you've worked up an appetite because I've made plenty" Mrs. Kojima said.

"I have. I'll be in my room for a bit" Kirie notified her mother. "Call me down when breakfast is ready."

"Certainly" Misuzu assured.

"Thanks mom" Kirie said right before heading for her room and collapsing atop her bed hoping to clear her mind somehow. She reaches for a pillow and buries her face pitying and resenting the predicament she shared with Yukinari. She was all too familiar with losing a loved one to another so she could feel nothing but a heavy remorse whenever she thought of the other two girls. Without a doubt, she wanted to be more with Yukinari, but not like this.

Back in Yukinari's house, Yukinari tosses himself onto his sofa unsure of how to proceed. No matter how he looked at things, he felt he had messed up. He had acted on impulse and now, it meant Lisa's, and to a lesser extent, Miharu's emotions were on the line. Standing up, he approaches a wall and bangs his head on it a number of times hoping to rid himself of the guilt he was suffering. "I'm an idiot" he told himself. "Kirie, what have we brought on ourselves?" he muttered as if wishing for an answer to materialize out of thin air. If only he could relive the moment: he'd stop himself without a doubt. He stands there for a time dreading the day his and Kirie's secret might get out. With a heavy heart, he feared the fallout that was bound to come sooner or later. Feeling a sinking sensation in his chest, he suddenly feared suffocating if he stayed indoors any longer and he proceeds to the backyard only to be stopped in his tracks at a paralyzing sight. Looking through the sliding glass door to his backyard, he finds Lisa sitting on the back porch. At that instant, Lisa turns her head and her glassy eyes find Yukinari's own.


	20. Chapter 20

Season 3 Episode 44: Bravo Dawn!

A black car with heavily tinted windows drives down a dark and dank, deserted alleyway. The driver parks it right next to one of the buildings bordering the alley and out through the front door climbs out a tall imposing man by the name of Akuma. He proceeds to one of the backseat doors and opens it.

"Get out, now!" Akuma commands forcefully at the three delinquents sitting stiffly and silently in the backseats, two of them with mild injuries to their faces, injuries Yukinari and Kirie had given them. All three hesitate and look at each other. Growing impatient, Akuma yanks out Shinichi, a chunky delinquent with matted hair, and throws him against the graffitied walls of the alley, his back colliding loudly with it. The other two, Aho and Tenchi, quickly climb out willingly. "Line up against the wall" Akuma orders closing the car door. Tenchi and Aho quickly join Shinichi and all three stand rigidly lined up along the dirty wall as Akuma's gaze shifted between the three subjects. "Sit down" he says calmly. Shinichi, Aho, and Tenchi all do as they are told, not a single sound made by either of them. "Stretch your legs out in front of you" he directs still pacing back and forth. The three do as they are told. "I want to know what happened back there. Tenchi, Aho, you two had to take care of one single person and you both failed" Akuma recalls frustrated. "Incompetents like yourselves are not the kind of ilk I want to work with. All you had to do was beat him and he ripped you both apart."

"Th-the guy's been training or something! That Punynari was different! W-we were caught off guard!" Aho answered.

"And that girl with him!" Tenchi added. "You let her get to us!" he accused. Akuma however seemed unconcerned and apathetic.

"You boys had a minute. It should have been enough" Akuma said, his pacing coming to a stop. "It wasn't enough. Two on one wasn't enough." Approaching his car, he leans up against it and with arms folded, he scans the three subjects sitting next to the alley wall, their legs stretched out in front of them. "Tell me, Shinichi. Do you think what happened back there is something I want watching my back? Do you think I want my men to collapse like a house of cards when faced by someone who is smaller than them? Tell me and tell them!" Akuma instructs Shinichi.

"N-no. No" Shinichi answers timidly. "No way! It was awful!" Shinichi answers thinking it was what Akuma wished to hear.

"Don't talk so big Shinichi! You didn't do a damn thing!" Aho angrily responded. "You just sat in the car like a bitch! Me and Tenchi did the heavy lifting!" Tenchi says nothing to this, Akuma simply continues listening intently with an expression of mild fascination.

"You didn't do a damn thing dickhead! Two on one and you guys got messed up!" Shinichi retorted with a snort. "It was embarrassing!"

"If you'd joined in, we would have kicked his ass!" Aho objected. "Three on one and we would have had it!"

"It should have only taken one of us" Tenchi said finally after his brief silence. "Don't you guys get it? What do you think Akuma thinks when he sees his men get taken down so easily?"

Shinichi and Aho both fall silent at this and their gaze shifts back to Akuma uneasily. "Very good Tenchi, very good. I didn't expect you to get it so quickly. A loss on a one-on-one would have been somewhat excusable. A two-on-one is something that I can't overlook. Tenchi, get up" Akuma commands.

Tenchi stands as instructed and pats his pants free of the dirt from the alley ground. "Tenchi, come here. Stand next to me" Akuma instructs in an almost warm tone. Tenchi does so and joins Akuma next to the car. "Tenchi, what do you think I should do? I need men who can get things done. What should I do? Should I just cut them off or what?"

"Uh" Tenchi begins at first not sure how to respond. "You should give them another chance. I know these guys so I'm sure they can learn" Tenchi says in defense of the two sitting on the ground.

"You think so?" Akuma asks eyeing Tenchi skeptically.

"Y-yes! They just need to..." Tenchi stops to seek the right words, "be taught!"

"Teach these guys?" Akuma asks in a surprised tone. "These guys? These guys can't be taught. But you Tenchi, you can!" Akuma stops and proceeds to the trunk of the car. "I see potential in you Tenchi. I want to teach you! And these boys are going to help me do that" Akuma finishes and begins rummaging in the back of his car. "Wait there, don't move. That goes for you two down there also" Akuma commands and he proceeds to the trunk of the black car. Aho and Shinichi obediently sit still on the dirty concrete floor, their legs still outstretched in front of them. Looking in Akuma's direction, all three can see Akuma's arms probing the inside of the trunk of the car. They cannot see what is happening exactly but they do note that Akuma places something underneath his shirt. Then he closes the trunk door, approaches Tenchi and hands him a metallic instrument. Examining it, Tenchi learns that it was a pistol.

"You know what that is don't you?" Akuma asked a shocked Tenchi.

"W-what the hell?" Shinichi gasps.

"What're you gonna do with that!?" Aho exclaims.

"W-what is this!? Akuma!?" Tenchi breathes in a near panic. "Why are you-"

"I want you to shoot them" Akuma reveals. "You know how to shoot a gun don't you?"

"Wh-why!?" Shinichi demands. "You've got to be kidding!? Th-this is a joke!" he said quivering.

"Y-you can't be serious!" Aho exclaims again.

"Sorry boys: we all gotta go sometime" Akuma simply growled cruelly. "You can sit there and take your deaths like men or you can try to run and we'll shoot you in the back."

"Th-this is a bad dream" Aho mutters to himself quietly.

"Wh-what is this Akuma!?" Tenchi begs loudly. "...N-no... I can't" he mutters, his cohorts on the ground helpless and filled with a deathly fear.

"All you have to do is point and pull the trigger" the deadly order comes from Akuma, his voice cold and authorative looking down at the two helpless thugs. "If they try to run, we'll shoot their backs."

"I, I can't. I won't!" Tenchi declares. "You're insane!" Reaching into the inside of his shirt, Akuma pulls a heavy piece of metal with a barrel and trigger and points it directly at Tenchi.

"Do it or you join them" Akuma says calmly but threateningly.

"You, you wouldn't" Tenchi says desperately.

"What does it look like?" Akuma asks, his gaze and arm frozen. "You can try to pry this gun from my hand but I'll just put you in with these other two. Or you can try your hand at shooting me before I shoot you, a slim chance I assure you!.. Or you follow orders and, after we're done here with these two failures, we set out to make ourselves very wealthy men!.. So, make your choice."

Tenchi looks at the gun pointed in his direction weighing his chances against Akuma but ultimately comes up short in hopelessness. He points his gun at Aho. Overwhelmed by shock, Tenchi places his numbed finger on the trigger. Aho faces Tenchi wearing a look of both fear and a horrible acceptance that they were about to die.

"You, you can't do this Akuma" Shinichi begs. "We, we can do better!"

"Tenchi, please don't" Aho joins in pathetically, both overwhelmed by fear from Akuma's presence.

"Do it" Akuma commands again, Tenchi standing and only focusing on the pistol in his hand. "Do it" again Akuma's persistent voice commands.

"You, you can't do this Akuma. P-please man" Shinichi begs again but Akuma is unaffected, unmoved, his weapon still pointed at Tenchi. Immediately, Aho desperately lunges forward at Akuma's leg hoping to knock him down and halt the direction in which the situation was inevitable heading. With a heavy, outstretched leg, Akuma's boot clashes with Aho's face and Aho falls back onto Shinichi whose face is near breaking into a sob. "P-please don't" Shinichi begs one final time.

"Do it!" Akuma shouts one last time with gun drawn and aimed.

And then, almost as though in slow-motion, Tenchi's finger squeezes the trigger. A loud bang shatters the silence and echoes in the alleyway and a pistol flash illuminates it for an instant. Afterwards, smoke emanated from the gun's barrel, Tenchi's hand trembling not believing or knowing of what he had done.

"AAaaahhh!" Aho lets out in pain. The world around Tenchi goes black for an instant, the only thing he could perceive was Aho's pained screams. "Aaaahh!" Aho lets out grasping at his chest. Eyeing his victim, a sight would embed itself onto Tenchi's conscious, a sight that would stay with him for the rest of his days: the image of Aho writhing in pain, in anguish, his chest clutched in his hands.

"Very good. Very good Tenchi, I'm proud" Akuma's voice compliments. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Wh-what? What!?" Aho lets out. Frantically, he probes his body in search of a bullet hole or blood or any sign of injury. Aside from injuries he suffered at the hands of Akuma, Yukinari, or Kirie, he finds himself unharmed.

"What, what is this?" Shinichi asked confused.

"B-blanks" Tenchi muttered dropping the gun. "Blanks!" he repeats with relief.

"Hahahaha! Ahahahahahahaha" Akuma laughed slapping a relieved Tenchi in the back, the other two remaining silent. "Gentlemen! Take these words to heart!" Akuma barks. "The first part of any fight, of any war is right here!" he instructs pointing at his temple. "Learn to strike fear in your enemies' minds, in their hearts! Break their mind down, their focus! And then you tear down everything else!" Akuma proceeds to the trunk of the car and puts his gun away. "Boys, if you wish to work with me, be prepared to meet great and deadly forces. And you must meet these forces head on. Fear and hesitation are your enemy."

Tenchi eyes Aho and Shinichi and they gaze back at him, a bond between them severed. Though the two on the ground did not know, Tenchi had diverted his aim at the last second in a desperate search for a way out. Then all three look at Akuma with eyes of distrust. He eyes them back offering no sympathy.

"I shouldn't be surprised. Nina it seems taught the boy a thing or two... You know what, you had it easy by comparison. I had to learn the hard way. My teachers were boots, shanks, knives, tasers, police batons, brass knuckles, chains. Painful shit. You boys don't want to know what a Mongolian prison is like... Anyways, get yourselves cleaned up" Akuma instructs throwing a first-aid kit their way. "There's a public restroom nearby."

-TRANSITION-

At first, Yukinari was too in shock to breathe a word. Actually, there was no need for words: the hurt on Lisa's face let him know that Lisa knew.

"Yukinari" Lisa began, her back to her supposed soulmate. "I had come earlier today... I entered your room looking for you... Only to find you and Kirie in each other's arms... Under the covers..." Yukinari nearly manages to speak but fails and Lisa resumes. "So I guess this means you and her... You're supposed to be 'my' soulmate... So why?.." Lisa asked in a terribly strained voice.

"Lisa..." Yukinari didn't know what to say. He had nothing to say. What was done was done and this confrontation was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Was it me Yukinari?" Lisa asks with heavy emotion. "Was I too loving? Not loving enough? Too aggressive? Did my blackmail make you angry or was I not voluptuous enough? If I had been born a year sooner or if you had known me as long as Kirie, would you have chosen me?"

"Lisa, that's not it!"

"Then what!? I need to know!..." Before Yukinari could respond, Lisa continued. "No... I don't need to know" Lisa declares standing up suddenly. "I don't care to know!" she exclaims rushing inside. A teary yet angry Lisa makes her way to the front door, Yukinari giving chase.

"Lisa, wait! Just please wai-"

"Stay away!" Lisa shouts waving her staff at Yukinari and with a loud bang, a bright flash, and a cloud of smoke, Yukinari finds himself in his bath room. Recovering quickly, he makes his way out his front door where he finds Kirie in his front yard wearing a concerned look.

"Yukinari, I've been looking for you. What happened!?" Kirie asked. "I heard a loud bang so I came to see what was up!"

"You did? So quickly after the explosion?"

"Yukinari, the explosion was about two minutes ago! I looked inside your house but you weren't inside!"

"I wasn't inside?" Yukinari asks confused but quickly shakes off the current line of questioning. "Lisa must have used some kind of magic but it doesn't matter. Lisa's upset and I need to go calm her down" Yukinari says proceeding inside his home.

"What are you talking about Yukinari? What happened with Lisa?" Kirie asks following Yukinari into his room. Inside, she finds Yukinari grabbing a wooden baseball bat and making his way out just as quickly. "What's with the bat?" Kirie asks becoming frustrated. "Slow down Yukinari and answer my damn questions!" Kirie chases after Yukinari who leads the way on foot to the Fukuyama estate. The Fukuyama estate was a luxurious and overwhelming plot of land with an immense mansion at its center. Surrounding the mansion were tall hedges arranged in a maze-like pattern with exception to the paved path leading from the front gate to the front door of the mansion itself. Though the estate had security monitoring the entire area, the path leading from the front gate to the front door had the heaviest traffic of security which consisted of machine gun-carrying maids.

"...I'm sorry but Lisa is not expecting any visitors today so I'm afraid I cannot allow you entry" Lilica explains at the door next to the large front gate of the estate.

"Oh, okay. Very well then. May I come back tomorrow?" Yukinari questions.

"Yes, you may if you so wish. Goodbye." And with that, Lilica closes the door.

"Alright Yukinari, I need you to tell me what's going on!" Kirie demands.

"Lisa knows" Yukinari admits, "about you and me."

"She does!?" Kirie exclaims pink-faced.

"I've messed up and I'm here to try to smooth things out" Yukinari explains grabbing the baseball bat he rested against the hedge surrounding the estate. "I'm going in."

"No, Yukinari, we both messed up so I should go too."

"No Kirie, I think it's best I go alone. Leave it up to me!" Yukinari assures as he scans the tall hedges and pulls at some of the branches. "She should see us one at a time."

"A-are you sure?" Kirie asks worried.

"I'm sure Kirie. I'll handle this."

"Oh, okay" Kirie says in agreement. "But what's the baseball bat for though?"

"The robots" Yukinari explains. He shoves the baseball bat into the inside of the back of his shirt and begins his ascent scaling the large hedge in front of him, Kirie looking on impressed.

"Be careful Yukinari" Kirie advised.

"Don't worry Kirie, I'll be okay." Yukinari reaches the top of the hedge and feels the thick and tall hedge underneath him. "This seems firm enough" he thinks as he taps the top of the hedge with his foot. Looking around, he finds the path to the front door too open to sneak through so instead, he studies the maze bordering the path at a steep angle, the maze formed by the hedges that once trapped him the first time he was there. "Okay, make a right then a left and then bypass the next intersection... Unless what I'm looking at is two rows of hedges and not three. In that case, I'll pass three hedges until I get to the third intersection after which..." he interrupts himself and then scratches his head. "...Screw it, I'll just go straight through! I climbed this hedge, why not do so with the others?" Yukinari climbs down the hedge onto the ground and immediately climbs back up the other hedge in front of him as he heads straight in the direction of the mansion. "No mines to deal with up here and the maids, they seem to be slacking off" Yukinari notes as he spots four maids who should be patrolling the hedge maze instead playing a game of mahjong on a small table.

"Damn it! I don't need this piece!" one of the maids with light purple hair and tan skin exclaims upset.

"I'm retiring early at this rate!" a maid with dark blue hair boasts handling her game pieces. Unknown to the four Yukinari climbs down from one hedge wall and climbs up another.

Yukinari continues on his way to the Fukuyama estate spotting other maids slacking off. Some dozing off leaning against the hedges, one completely engrossed in a book, and some just chatting away about something Yukinari didn't care for. "Man, this gig must be dull. You just walk around, stare at the lawn and wait for things to happen... Actually, those maids had the right idea. Get paid to just hang out!" Yukinari thought climbing up another hedge nearly reaching the mansion's location. On his way up the hedge to his sudden surprise, a robot hovers over to his location and spots him, its small metallic body humming as it observes Yukinari through its two red lenses. "Sorry but not this time!" Yukinari, climbing the top of the hedge, says as he draws the baseball bat back and swings it down heavily against the hovering robot. The sound of metal bending violently rings out loudly and then a crash follows after the robot plunges down to the ground.

"Did you hear that!?" Yukinari heard a maid on patrol ask another maid walking alongside her.

"It came from over there!" Yukinari heard the other maid respond. Immediately, they began making their way through the maze.

"Uh-oh, better make myself scarce!" Yukinari thought climbing down quickly and clearing a few more hedge walls. He reaches the walls of the mansion and peers inside through one of the windows which leads into a long hallway. Finding the inside of the hallway lavishly decorated but devoid of life, he probes the window and finds it unlocked. "Some security."

"Scan that area over there!" a maid shouts. "I want every corner searched!"

"Better hurry" Yukinari tells himself. He climbs in and closes the window behind him. As he does so, he hears the maids outside yelling out orders of "secure the perimeter!", "we have an intruder!", "we've found a wrecked patrol bot!". At the same time, he hears the sound of another patrol bot getting smashed. "What was that!?" exclaimed a maid to which another answered "It came from over there!". "There he is! It's a ninja in black!...?" The maids pause for a moment feeling completely surprised and confused by the sight. "...Get him!" shouted a maid and a flurry of gunfire rings out. "He's fleeing!", "Good job girls, we've chased him away! But next time, we need to apprehend him!"

"What the..? Who were they shooting at? Ninja in black?" Yukinari wondered as he closed the window. He didn't give it much thought and got back to the task at hand: finding Lisa and mending the damage he had caused. "Alright, so now what?" he asked looking from one end of the corridor to another. He proceeds to one end and peeks around the corner. "This place is empty" he whispers as he finds another long and empty hall just as luxuriously decorated but still lacking in any people. He approaches one of the doors and peeks inside. That room, after flicking on the light switch, is found to be devoid of anyone though it appeared to be a painting studio of some sort with some paintings partially done. "What's with this place? It's so huge and yet so vacant" he comments after searching through several more empty rooms, some even devoid of any objects. "I guess I should be thankful. This makes sneaking easier" he observes just as a dark figure sneaks up behind him.

"Good morning Yukinari" the figure says.

"Gaahh!" Yukinari exclaims in shock quickly turning around. He finds a man standing tall in a ninja outfit, his eyes focused on Yukinari's own. "Who are you!? How did you know my name!?" Yukinari demands putting his baseball up defensively.

"Relax" the ninja says calmly. "It's me" he says as he removes the covering on his head and reveals his identity.

"Hayate?"

"Yes, that's right" Hayate responds. "And you're here for Lisa."

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Research is our specialty, as is stealth" Hayate answers.

"No kidding" Yukinari says lowering his guard and relaxing. "So, did you need something from me?"

"I want you to see Lisa and console her. She's quite upset..."

"I, I know..."

"Please, follow me" Hayate says leading the way.

"S-sure" Yukinari responds with guilt. "It's all my fault" Yukinari admits following Hayate's lead.

"Don't blame yourself so much. Lisa has invested a bit too much on someone she considers a soulmate. Someone who never really considered her a girlfriend."

"Ho-how do you know all this?" Yukinari asks impressed yet still feeling a terrible remorse.

"Research is our specialty" Hayate repeats. Moments later, Hayate arrives at a large black door which stood in stark contrast with the light and cream-colored walls of the mansion's interior. "Here we are. Lisa's room."

"Thank you" Yukinari says gratefully. "By the way, was it you who the maids spotted outside?"

"Yes it was: I smashed another patrol bot to draw the maids' attention and lead them away from you" Hayate explains.

"Th-thank you very much Hayate!"

"It was for Lisa's sake. She needs to see you... I'll keep an eye out. Good luck" Hayate says and with that, he disappears the same way he and Kosame often did. 


	21. Chapter 21

Season 3 Episode 45: Reunion Is Bravo!

Turning to Lisa's room, Yukinari braces himself and raises his fist. "Here goes." He knocks on the black door, the sound from his knocking dispelling the silence that characterized the mansion. "L-Lisa?" Yukinari whispers cautiously. "Are you in there?" No response of any kind is heard from within. "Lisa, it's me... Yukinari..." he says as he starts to question why he has decided to do this. Perhaps it was a bad idea or perhaps it was time to cut ties with Lisa, something he did not wish to do since she was also another girl whom he considered important in his life. "We need to talk Lisa. Please open up." Still no response to Yukinari's concern. "Lisa, I've messed up Lisa. I never meant to mislead you... If there's anything I could do to make things right... I would..." He rests his forehead against Lisa's door and listens. There was not a sound to be heard. "What am I doing? I'm probably the last person she wants to see, next to Kirie" he thinks. He looks around hoping Hayate would appear and provide some sort of advice but finds no one in the empty hallway he was standing in. "Maybe she just needs her space and I need to steer clear! Yeah, that's it!" Yukinari ponders optimistically. "I'm sure she'll get over it and she'll come back and we'll all be friends again! It will be as if nothing ever happened" Yukinari assures himself spinning around ready to head home only to halt himself. In the back of his mind, he knew there was no going back. "Look at me... I'm about to walk away just like that. No... I came all this way" he convinces himself anew, his back to Lisa's room. "I've got to take action damn it! I'm a man!" he declares spinning back to face the black door. "Alright Lisa, we need to talk. We need to fix things here and now! We're adults" he says knocking loudly on her door. "Well, we're teens actually. She's 15 and I'm 16!" Yukinari corrects himself mentally. "Though the way she talks and acts at times, she's a pervert like her older brother... Focus Yukinari! Focus!" Yukinari says getting back to the task at hand. Suddenly, to his shock, the door in front of him opens as though it were swung open by an invisible hand. A powerful and overwhelming vacuum sucks him into the room sweeping him up off his feet and in the blink of an eye, the door slams shut behind him. All light evacuates with the slamming of the door to Lisa's room. Inside, Yukinari was sure his eyes were open but the room was pitch black. He blinks a few times and as his eyes adjust, he notices a very faint purple-blue light emanating from an unknown direction. He squints his eyes in the direction of the weak glow and makes out a kneeling figure with blonde hair who was, without a doubt, who Yukinari believed it was. "Lisa? Is that you?" Yukinari asks delicately as he watches her hands through the darkness moving over what looked like an arrangement of playing cards.

"You and I are soulmates Yukinari. Astrology says that this is so. My fortune-telling cards say that this is so. Destiny says that this is so. Madam Mabanya says that this is so" Lisa's surprisingly calm and steady voice announces. In her left hand she holds a deck of cards and withdraws one card at a time with her right. She ritualistically places the cards in front of her on a surface face-up one at a time adding to the arrangement of cards. Each card displays various images Yukinari couldn't decipher through the dark. "So why?"

"Lisa, we need to talk" Yukinari reminds her.

"Why have you chosen another girl besides me? It makes no sense. Have I not done enough? Are we not soulmates? Was I born too late?"

"...Lisa, that's not it..." Yukinari begins to ask as he notices that Lisa is kneeling on the ceiling, "...Lisa, what are you doing up on the cei..."

"I'm not on the ceiling" Lisa corrects him. "You are" Lisa answers. The room is then quickly illuminated by torches set up inside the room. They reveal Lisa dressed in a black cloak, appearing as though she were in mourning, kneeling turned toward him in front of a desk. Yukinari looks around and sees that they are both surrounded by walls lined by large book cases filled with various books on magic and witchcraft. He attempts to move his arms but soon realizes the position he was in. Looking above him, he sees that everything in the room from the desk to the cards to the torches were resting upside-down on the ceiling. Looking below him, he sees the floor completely devoid of anything save for the chandelier. He quickly realized it was as Lisa had said: he was not only on the ceiling but hanging from the ceiling. Ropes were tightly wrapped around him and binding his arms and legs firmly in place. That same rope tied around him was holding him up from the floor and hanging down from a hook on the ceiling.

"L-Lisa! What's going on!?" Yukinari asked in mild horror. "Why am I tied up!?"

"Yukinari, my love... You, you must be tried and punished... Betraying a witch's love is among the greatest violations that can be committed" Lisa says emotionlessly.

"Breaking a witch's heart..." Yukinari contemplates Lisa's words. "L-Lisa, please! I can explain!" Yukinari in reality couldn't explain but he wanted to get out of this situation first and foremost.

"Explain what!?" Lisa demanded. "How you've stabbed me in the back!?" Lisa asks becoming somewhat upset.

"N-no! Lisa... I..." Yukinari began to think about what to tell Lisa.

"You what Yukinari!?" Lisa asked becoming more emotional but managing to stay calm.

Yukinari did not answer. He could not think of what to say to fix things between them. As a matter of fact, he was not sure he ever even understood or considered what it meant to be a 'soulmate'. It being the equivalent of a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, perhaps even more than that, made sense and now more than ever he felt guilty. Kissing her once before had surely mislead her but still, it was Lisa who forced herself on him and moved in when she learned of his joining the UFC. None of that mattered now however: what was done was done and nothing could change that. Now he was willing to accept whatever punishment Lisa felt justified in imposing.

"Lisa... I have no excuse. I've messed up and I don't know how to make things right... I don't know what to do Lisa" Yukinari admits as he watches Lisa's pained expression. He looks away ashamed and finishes. "...Please, Lisa... Do whatever you think will make you feel better... Whatever will make things right..."

Lisa looks at Yukinari, at first with a pained hate and fury. But this sentiment quickly turns to pity and sadness as she follows Yukinari's suggestion. "Yukinari Sasaki, age 16, born March 23rd" Lisa began reciting ritualistically. "Once a simple high school boy and citizen of Mizuno who had a promising future with a blonde witch. Now, he is at the mercy of my fortune-telling cards. They shall decipher what is to become of him... Of us" Lisa says holding up the deck in her hand.

"Cards of what?"

"Yukinari I, I don't know... what to do either" Lisa admits. "When I feel lost or frustrated" Lisa pauses, "when life becomes difficult... I refer to magic" Lisa says setting another card down in front of her, this time the image of a sun blocked by the moon turns up. "These cards can foretell the future and answer vexing questions too hard for a witch with a broken heart to cope with. Sir Dulhoff himself taught me of them."

"Lisa, you should decide for yourself what to do! No silly cards should decide-"

"Th-they are not silly! Silence yourself!" Lisa demands aggressively and by some sort of magic Yukinari's lips become sealed and his jaw locked. "I will do as I wish!" Lisa countered returning to her cards. "The shadow of the sun: it indicates the turning point of a love or a hate, a romance or a friendship! The cards speak of us!" Lisa announces to Yukinari's dread. What did that mean? That Lisa would now hate him and Kirie and curse them both? It was not until now that Yukinari worriedly considered what Lisa was capable of. She was capable of love and surely, she was capable of hate as well. Yukinari tries to speak but he cannot and can only watch as Lisa draws the next card and places it down in front of her.

"The curled serpent's nest" Lisa announces as she places another card down in front of her, this time with an image of two snakes curled up and their faces staring at each other. "The serpents twist and wind but theirs is..." Lisa stops talking and just stares down at the cards in front of her. Yukinari, still hanging upside-down from the ceiling, looks closely and is filled with a greater guilt. He notices Lisa's face breaking, tears welling up in her eyes, and her mouth quivering. She drags her arm across her face and readies the next card.

"Lisa, please stop this" Yukinari begins to plead in his mind, his mouth unable to speak words.

Lisa places the next card in front of her but says nothing, her face having rectified itself to a degree. A long, uncomfortable quiet ensues as both look at the card that has been placed down. The image of an imp-like creature falling down a pit comes up. "...Perhaps I'm to blame for some of what has happened" Lisa says looking up at Yukinari with an expression of sad longing. "I'm, I'm not the only girl after your affection Yukinari. Maybe if I, if I wasn't as aggressive as I was with you, you would have picked me!..." Lisa takes a breath. "Maybe if I could fight like her or if I were older or, or maybe if I had met you earlier in life... Or if maybe you've never had developed your allergy...You would have picked me long ago" Lisa finishes distraught, her eyes still misty.

"L-Lisa, that's not it Lisa!" Yukinari continues pleading in thought. Lisa draws another card and places it in front of her, this time revealing the image of a nurse in dark robes, similar to the dark robes Lisa was wearing, holding a corpse in her arms.

"Wh-what does that mean? Lisa, what is that card!?" Yukinari pleads again. Lisa stares long and hard at the card she had just placed down but somehow, it seemed to have calmed her.

"So, it has come down to that... has it?"

"It has come to what Lisa!?" Yukinari would have asked had his mouth not been cursed shut. "Lisa?"

Lisa quickly gathers all the cards and shuffles them into a single deck. She stands, the emotion in her face suppressed, and proceeds to exit completely ignoring Yukinari's presence but just as she is about to take the final step out, she says "Yukinari... You shouldn't have come. Please don't seek me." and she finally leaves, the door closing behind her.

"I shouldn't have come? I shouldn't seek her" Yukinari repeats with a guilt thicker than ever. "She might be right... So is she going to leave me here?" Yukinari ponders as the torches in the room extinguish and he's once again engulfed by darkness. "...Somehow, I feel I deserve this..." Yukinari remains there for several minutes, minutes he uses to think of what to do next. He also thinks of what Lisa could have meant by it coming 'down to that'. "What could she be planning to do? Kirie's still waiting outside! What if they confront each other!? This is bad! I've got to-" Yukinari tries to wiggle his way out of the ropes holding him tightly. As hard as he tries, his arms and legs are firmly held in place. "Damn it! What should I do now?"

"Need a hand?" Hayate's voice surfaces from the dark.

"Hayate? Where?" Following the sound of a blade and ropes being cut, Yukinari shouts as he feels himself fall to the floor. "A little warning would have been appreciated" Yukinari says rubbing his head. "Oh, I can talk! Thank you Hayate" Yukinari says bowing respectfully.

"You couldn't talk before?" Hayate asks turning the light in the room on.

"I'm guessing it was Lisa's magic" Yukinari answers to an acknowledging nod from Hayate. "So Hayate, I believe I'm done here" Yukinari says hoping to get back home. "I don't think there's much else that I can do" Yukinari admits in surrender. "Please Hayate, I need to get back to Kirie!"

Hayate proceeds to escort Yukinari out of the mansion through several long and lonely halls and rooms. Yukinari considers asking Hayate about the halls but he recalls a more pressing issue: Kirie and Lisa. Could they have already confronted each other? Nothing good could come from that, he was certain, and he wanted to get back to where Kirie was waiting for him at the front gates of the Fukuyama estate as soon as possible.

"Just escorting a visitor, nothing to see here" Hayate says responding to several of the maids' suspicious stares, their hands holding their submachine guns at the ready. Yukinari gets to and exits through the front gates where, to his relief, he finds Kirie waiting patiently seated at the curb.

"Yukinari, you're back!" Kirie announces relieved. "Thank goodness. Hayate, what happened?"

"Not important: you two need to get home" Hayate notifies Yukinari and Kirie. "I'll fetch you two a driver" Hayate informs pulling out a cell phone.

"That would be very nice" Kirie says appreciatively.

Hayate has a short limo pull up to the street and he welcomes both Yukinari and Kirie inside.

"Hayate, please keep a close eye on Lisa" Yukinari implored before climbing in. "She's still very upset."

"Of course, as Kosame and I always do" Hayate assured to Yukinari's relief.

On a melancholy drive home, Yukinari leans his head against the window and stares at the buildings that were passing by. He could not help but feel bad that he had gotten off so easily. This feeling did not improve as the drive went on and at one point, Yukinari pulled his shirt up and over his head in shame.

"What happened Yukinari? Is Lisa okay?" Kirie asks sharing the back seat with Yukinari.

"Nothing Kirie. Lisa will be fine" Yukinari lied. "I just need to think."

"S-sure" Kirie responds believing there was more that Yukinari did not wish to discuss at the moment. The rest of the drive home remained quiet and at the end of it, they were both dropped off at their homes. Kirie thanked the driver and the driver took off.

"Kirie, I'd like to be alone. I need to just think about things" Yukinari announced with his hands in his pockets.

Kirie looks at him but does not answer for a bit. "I understand. If you need anything, I'll be at home" Kirie answers and then proceeds to her house. Yukinari walks off in the direction of Mizuno town's shopping center to try to decide on what to do next. Lisa had told him that he shouldn't have shown up which he could not help but believe it meant he was not going to see her anymore. More importantly, he still wondered what she had meant by it coming 'down to that'. And then there was Kirie: what now of their relationship? Kirie had wanted to be more than just friends for a long time but such a thing scared him. His breakup with Miharu was anything but pleasant. And what of her relationship with Lisa? It wasn't going to survive this. And then Miharu coming back... It was all a bit too much and taking a simple walk was of little help to him. Walking through the large crowds that moved through Mizuno's shopping district, Yukinari finds himself at the front door of the UFC where he hoped to better clear his head. Perhaps a bit of physical exercise or at the very least even just sitting down to watch others doing it would help.

"Oh, hello Yukinari" Nina greets Yukinari from behind a book as he enters. "How are you?"

"Hello Miss Nina" Yukinari greets back. "Just stopping by to let some steam off." He tried to conceal his troubled mind with a lopsided smile hoping he could keep what had happened from Miss Nina, at least for now.

"Very well then."

"Y-yeah" Yukinari said. "I-I'll be going now." Before he could make for the training room, Miss Nina stopped him.

"Yukinari, is something the matter?" Nina asked putting her book down. It was almost as if Nina could see right through him to his dismay.

"No Miss Nina. Nothing's the matter."

"Really?"

"Really." For a moment, Miss Nina simply stared at Yukinari.

"Alright. You seemed a bit troubled for a moment. Must have been my imagination" Nina said before returning to her reading. "Carry on then and don't forget your warm ups."

"S-sure." Yukinari considered just leaving their brief exchange where it had ended since he didn't really want to talk about what was indeed troubling him. After some hesitation however, he decided to confide in Miss Nina feeling she could offer guidance in some form. "Actually Miss Nina, there is something.."

"Oh?"

Yukinari takes a deep breath. "After I finished my fight with Seiichirou, I went to Seiren to see Miharu. Afterwards, I came back home through a portal created by Koyomi. And then..." Yukinari again hesitates finding it harder now that Nina was listening intently, her elbows on the front counter, her hands holding her head. Nina's eyes meeting Yukinari's, her ears at the ready.

"So? Then what?" Nina asked fully interested.

"I opened my front door to find Kirie standing there. I welcomed her in and we talked. About things.. And then... And then, she k-kissed me and I kissed her back and... I... she and I..." Yukinari now found it tougher than ever to speak. He felt as though he were choking on his words but before he could continue, Nina's actions wouldn't let him finish. She seizes him by the neck of his shirt and pulls him over the counter, her eyes piercing his.

"Yukinari, there's no need to say more" Nina says in a very firm tone. "I only have one question for you Yukinari: did you make sure?"

"M-make sure? O-of what!?" Yukinari asked nervously. "Oh, oh! Y-yes! Of course!" Yukinari quickly confirmed.

"Oh" Nina says disappointed letting Yukinari go. "Good.. Then who cares? Big freaking whoop" Nina says returning to her reading nonchalantly. "As long as there's no little Yukinari in Kirie's arms ten months from now then so what? Jeez, that was rather anti-climactic."

The image Nina puts in Yukinari's head puts him through a cold sweat but he endures. "B-but Miss Nina! I-I've hurt someone terribly! I've hurt Lisa!"

"Oh! Ah yes, that certainly sounds troublesome. So she knows of this?"

"Yes Miss Nina, she found out about it" Yukinari said with great shame.

"Did it not occur to you that your actions might affect Lisa?"

"Miss Nina, it just never occurred to me. It was an overwhelming emotion that took over and Kirie... looked so pretty and I couldn't control myself. I couldn't stop kissing her.. P-please don't look at me like that Miss Nina!" Yukinari beseeched Nina who was stretching a playful grin across her face. "It's not helping!"

"You couldn't control yourself but you remembered to make sure?" Nina asked, an eyebrow raised high.

At this Yukinari's face reddens and he starts to scramble for an excuse. "W-well Miss N-Nina, we-we're taught to do these th-things in school an-and I practiced-I mean I was uhh, uhh-" Yukinari stammered, "m-my school h-hands 'em out a-and I h-had some b-by my bed"

"You sneaky little devil you, you knew what you were doing" Nina said in a somewhat accusatory tone, her eyes piercing through him.

"B-but Miss Nina, I, I swear, err, I wasn't planning for this to happen" Yukinari struggled to counter Nina's accusation, his head buried in his hands.

"Hmhmhmhm!" Nina chuckled. "Relax Yukinari, you're a young man. You had a cute young woman with a huge crush on you over at your house. I wouldn't expect you two to play chess. I wonder what the baby will look like though? Will he or she have her hair and your eyes maybe?" Nina teased. "That'd be a cute baby."

"P-please stop Miss Nina! I can't take that!" Yukinari said with great dread.

"It's called taking responsibility punk!" Nina said. "If she ends up knocked up, I'll make sure you fulfill your role as father! If you don't, I'll track you down myself and chain you to the floor! You hear me!?" Nina warned wearing a frightening expression.

"Miss Nina, I would never abandon Kirie!" Yukinari declared firmly.

"I know you wouldn't Yukinari. I'm just teasing" Nina said setting down the book in her hands. "Now about Lisa, what happened exactly?"

Yukinari goes on to explain his visiting Lisa in her mansion and how Lisa had told him that he shouldn't have gone to see her. After an odd card game Lisa had played, he explained about Lisa commenting on how it had 'come down to that' which worried Yukinari even more as to what Lisa might do. "So what should I do Miss Nina?"

Nina thinks for a moment and answers "well, I can be certain that Lisa was hurt and, like with Kirie, I expect you to take full responsibility. However, the part about it 'coming down' to something, you'll have to confront her about it Yukinari. I think I know her well enough not to think she'll resort to anything terrible if that's what you're afraid of." Yukinari agreed he did not think Lisa would resort to anything drastic and with Hayate and Kosame watching her, she would surely stay out of trouble. "However, you probably know her better than I do: what do you think she could have meant?"

"I honestly don't know" Yukinari answers.

"Then it's time to have a talk with her and Kirie the next time the opportunity presents itself, preferably at different times. And more importantly, it's unfair to Kirie and Lisa that you not reach a decision on who you will be calling a girlfriend. You can't leave them both suspended like this Yukinari. They both seemed to get along fine and adore you and now this happens... Act now before things get uglier."

Yukinari sighs and continues. "You're right Miss Nina. You're absolutely right."

"You're a man Yukinari, not a boy" Nina says reaching over the counter and grasping Yukinari's chin between her right index and thumb.

"Miss Nina?" Yukinari asks as his face is directed toward her. Nina's eyes lock with his.

"Act like one" Nina commands right before yanking out one of the few whiskers that was growing from the tip of his chin.

"Aahh!" Yukinari exclaims rubbing his chin. "What was that for!?"

"To remind you. Now go on and set things right with the two."

"You didn't have to yank them out" Yukinari murmured.

"Go on, get!"

"Y-yes ma'am" Yukinari said not looking forward to what he had been told to do. "Love is a scary thing Miss Nina."

"Yes it can be: but civilizations have to go on somehow" Nina said. "And don't worry Yukinari, I'm not one for gossip. Oh, and congratulations again on your win against Seiichirou!"

Yukinari makes his way out after saying good bye to Nina and heads back in the direction of his home. Throughout the long walk, as he rubs his chin, he contemplates Nina's words. "I gotta reach a decision huh?" He was about to lose one of the two girls who had helped him in his training, something that made his stomach turn. He stares at the ground with his hands again in his pockets. "Couldn't I just have them both?.. No, of course not.. Ugh, I'm starting to think like Kazuharu! But I guess that's every guy's fantasy..." Yukinari pondered what would be the best way to try to salvage the complicated relationship the three had but this only made his head hurt. "Let's face it, we're screwed" Yukinari surrendered as he turned a corner and his home came into view in the distance. "So who: Kirie or Lisa?" Yukinari posed this question to himself which only continued to make him feel sick. "The girl who put her own safety and happiness on the line for my sake, and chose a boy nicknamed 'Punynari' over all the other more-qualified guys who have liked her? Or the girl who without hesitation accepted my puny little self and had helped me for weeks?... Either way, it's too cruel. It's all too cruel for either of them!.. I've put them in this position. I don't deserve either of them..." Looking in the direction of his house, he notices a black limo which belonged to the Fukuyamas. "Oh no!" Yukinari closes the distance quickly between himself and Kirie's home which sat next to his own. He finds Kirie at her front door speaking to, to Yukinari's alarm, Lisa. Hayate stands at Lisa's side. "Girls!" Yukinari exclaims.

"Oh! Yukinari, you've finally arrived" Lisa greeted. "Don't worry, you didn't miss much. Kirie and I have spoken though only for a short time. However we've come to an understanding." Yukinari looks at Lisa and then at Kirie who nods softly but she wears a puzzled look matching Yukinari's. "Hayate, we are leaving" Lisa declares.

"Understood" Hayate answers and leads the way to the limo, Lisa following. Hayate opens the door for Lisa to enter but Lisa is stopped just as she is about to enter her limo.

"Lisa wait" Yukinari commands grasping Lisa's arm. "Lisa, what did you mean by it coming 'down to that'?"

"Exactly this Yukinari" Lisa says turning around and facing Yukinari who has released her arm. Lisa bows respectfully to Yukinari, some of her long blonde hair flowing down her shoulders. "I wish you and Kirie luck and happiness in your pursuit of love. May the good spirits pay you both their company" Lisa says to Yukinari's shock.

"Lisa" Yukinari begins in disbelief, "what are you saying?"

"It means you and I are done."

"Lisa, are... are you serious?" Yukinari asks not sure if he has heard Lisa correctly.

"Yukinari, this is no easy choice for me but I feel there can be no other course of action" Lisa says turning back to the limo awaiting her, her back to Yukinari.

"Lisa, are you sur-"

"Very" Lisa interrupts. A moment of quiet follows. It was clear now to Yukinari that Lisa had made a decision, a difficult decision at that.

"Lisa... Thank you... For everything" Yukinari says breaking the silence.

Lisa, without a word, walks to the awaiting limo and enters. Hayate follows her inside and closes the door leaving Yukinari standing there on the sidewalk in front of Kirie's home. The limo accelerates forward and onward turning at an intersection and out of Yukinari's sight. To Yukinari, it was as if Lisa had exited his life. Yukinari would have stopped her but he respected her decision and perhaps this was best for both of them.

"Yukinari" Kirie starts standing behind Yukinari. "I'm really sorry..." Kirie said weakly feeling partially responsible for what had just happened.

Yukinari says nothing for a long time. He then recalled Nina's words: "it's unfair to Kirie and Lisa that you not reach a decision on who you will be calling a girlfriend. You can't leave them both suspended like this Yukinari."

"...Kirie, what did Lisa speak to you about?"

Kirie pauses. "She told me what she told you: she wished us luck."

"It must have been painful for her" Yukinari began feeling a terrible remorse.

"Yes" Kirie agreed softly.

"And it must have hurt" Yukinari said not turning around to face Kirie. "It must have hurt watching Miharu and I date... And Lisa and I kiss."

Kirie, realizing Yukinari was speaking of her, answers. "It wasn't an easy thing to watch... but I was happy for you. Both times..."

"I expect you to take full responsibility" Nina's words echoed again in Yukinari's head. It was a difficult decision that faced Yukinari when he had set out from the UFC to his home. Lisa had made a difficult choice and now it was Yukinari's turn to follow through with the blonde witch's decision.

"Kirie" Yukinari says addressing a girl who, he was certain, was no stranger to difficult decisions. "Are you busy tomorrow? After school?"

"What Yukinari?" Kirie asks doubting what she had heard.

"Would you like to go out with me somewhere? I mean, just the two of us?"

The words "just the two of us" stood out to the brunette. She could feel her heart speeding up right then and there but she still retained some concern. "B-but Yukinari, what about Lisa? And Miharu?" Kirie asked worrying for the two other girls that had once vied for Yukinari's affection.

Yukinari turns to face Kirie, a look of anxiety on the brunette's face. He approaches her, his eyes not straying from hers, and pulls her towards himself, his arms wrapping around her. "I want to honor Lisa's decision. And Miharu, I've already spoken to her: she's a friend, yours and mine."

"Yukinari" Kirie whispers. She wraps her arms around Yukinari and they both quietly stand there, Kirie resting her head on Yukinari's shoulder. Pressing up against the boy she was in love with, his arms around her, his hands rubbing her back soothingly, he succeeds in relieving her of her worries.

"Kirie" Yukinari whispers back within a long embrace.

"...So, what does this mean?" Kirie asks after the silence. He pulls back and faces her.

"It means I'm your boyfriend" Yukinari answered. "And you're my girlfriend."

"Yukinari" Kirie breathes and they both lock lips for a moment, their arms still wrapped around each other.

"...It's been a long day Kirie... What do you say we head inside?" Yukinari suggests.

"..Yeah, good idea" Kirie agrees nodding her head softly and both head into Yukinari's house. Inside, Yukinari takes a seat on his couch and Kirie cuddles up right next to him. They exchange few words, their body language doing most of the talking. Kirie leaned on Yukinari and he wrapped an arm around her, his other hand caressing her thigh which she rested across his own affectionately. As the smell of her shampoo and body wash wafted his nose, Yukinari and Kirie both stay seated much this way, drifting in and out of sleep, caressing each other for the remainder of the evening.

-TRANSITION-

"Are you sure of this Mistress Lisa?" Hayate asked Lisa who was sitting in between Kosame and himself in the back seat of the limo. Lisa buries her face behind a book for a long time.

"...Yes, very" Lisa finally responded, her eyes scanning the inside of a book of witchcraft.

"I'm impressed Mistress Lisa. That was incredibly mature of you" Hayate complimented.

"What was?" Lisa asked not averting her eyes from her book.

"You moving on and away from Yukinari and your hopes for a future with the boy." Lisa says nothing to this for a time.

"...I haven't given up..."

"Mistress Lisa?" Hayate asked puzzled.

"The cards have spoken earlier today. Yukinari and Kirie's love will not last: it will eventually suffer the same fate as the one Yukinari and Miharu's had. When that happens, I shall be Yukinari's savior in dark robes when he falls into the pit of despair a second time. I've outlasted Miharu and, as instructed by the cards, I shall outlast Kirie too!"

"I see, Mistress Lisa" Hayate answered though he doubted the accuracy of several of her predictions. Lisa had made predictions before that which had not come to fruition. Despite this, he was glad to see Lisa back to her motivated, conniving self rather than the depressed, heartbroken one.

Lisa closes the book in her hand and lets out a long sigh. "...What irks me is that Kirie's going to get to do tons of dirty, filthy things with my Yukinari!" Lisa exclaimed causing the driver to brake at a traffic light abruptly. "It's no fair! I should have been the one he'd lose his purity to, not her!"

"Yes, it should have been you" Hayate, feeling obligated, agrees.

"Oh well... At least I took his first kiss. And he can still take 'my' purity" Lisa observed optimistically. "Chauffeur, The Darker Corner please" Lisa commands.

"Y-yes ma'am" the annoyed driver says acknowledging Lisa's request.

"Kosame, hand me volume 3 of 'A Witch's Guide to Love'" Lisa commands but Kosame does not react, her eyes looking out the window. "Kosame, volume 3 of 'A Witch's Guide to Love' please" which jerks Kosame out of whatever thoughts she was having instants before. Quickly, Kosame hands the book to Lisa and Lisa quickly opens it up.

Hayate looks over to Kosame whose face remains steel-eyed and focused but her hands were tightened into fists. Hayate blinks at this. "It seems as though Lisa's heart was not the only one broken today" Hayate contemplates.

"I wonder if there are any breast enlargement spells in here somewhere? Maybe that is how Kirie lured my soulmate into her vile clutches. That big chest of hers! And those long legs and ass! I gotta make myself cuter somehow" Lisa urged herself thumbing through her book.

"But Mistress Lisa, you're already cute" Hayate complimented. "You don't need to change yourself."

"Nonsense! You're just saying that. Surely I'm not cute enough" Lisa countered. "Correction: I gotta make myself hotter! Hotter than Kirie! And if I'm going to compete with her, I'm going to have to resort to some heavy-duty witchcraft! And I think I know where to start: with a bigger set of jugs" Lisa says grabbing at her chest and making the chauffeur jerk the limo forward.

"Seriously, keep that to yourself! That is no way for an underage girl to be talking!" the offended chauffeur thought angrily to himself. "She's related to that lecher, Kazuharu! There's no denying it" he grumbled to himself as the limo sped off. 


	22. Chapter 22

Season 3 Episode 46: Bravo Couple!

Yukinari stared at the reflection looking back at him from the mirror in his room. Yukinari pats his hair making sure that it was neat and combed and surveys his school uniform to make certain that it was free of stains or wrinkles. "This won't matter too much. I'm coming back to change into something more appropriate anyways!" he noted buttoning the front of his uniform. "Maybe I should shave?" Yukinari thought to himself as he found more facial hair springing up on his face. "I guess dad's genes are finally kicking in. I was wondering when that would happen" Yukinari pondered recalling the moderate beard his own father sported at times when he was still working locally. "I wonder if Kirie likes facial hair?"

Just next door, Kirie too was looking herself over in her dresser mirror. This was no different than on any other school day morning though there existed one major difference: for on this day, Kirie had decided to try on some cosmetics, something she had never cared to do. "So... how do I put this on?" Kirie wondered as she looked down at a cosmetics kit set before her on her dresser. "Eye liner? Eye shadow? I don't even know the difference!?" Kirie exclaimed fidgeting with the little instruments that came in the kit. Kirie was without a doubt a girl but she had often been a tomboyish one finding things likes sports and martial arts much more interesting than soaps or gossip magazines. "I know what lipstick is" Kirie confirmed twisting the base of a plastic tube pushing a red lipstick upward. "And I've seen other women put it on so..." Kirie parts her lips as she positions the lipstick near her mouth. At the last instant however, she hesitates. "...Mom!" Kirie called out.

"Yes dear?" Kirie's mother, Misuzu Kojima, answered moments later opening the door to Kirie's room and poking her head in. "Oh!" she let out noting the lipstick in Kirie's hand. "Going out on a date later today Kirie? This is a first! I've never seen you use makeup before" Mrs. Kojima observed entering Kirie's room.

"Um, yeah" Kirie answered somewhat embarrassed.

"So where's Fukuyama taking you this time?" Kirie's mother asked.

"Mom, I've broken up with him!" Kirie protested. "I'm not going out with him anymore."

"Oh really? Well that's a shame. He was so handsome!" Mrs. Kojima complimented.

"Yeah, but he was unbearable" Kirie countered.

"Yes, that makes sense. You never looked like you were enjoying yourself around him" Misuzu recalled.

"In any case, I'm going out with someone much better!" Kirie declares ecstatically.

"You are? So? Who's the lucky boy?"

"Yukinari!" Kirie answered proudly.

"Yukinari!?" Mrs. Kojima responds surprised. "The boy next door?"

"Yep!"

Kirie's mother stares at Kirie for a moment before continuing. "So you've finally mustered up the courage to ask him out? Good for you!.. Or did he ask you out?"

"He asked me out" Kirie informed.

"Mhmhmhmhm!" Kirie's mother hummed a chuckle. "I always thought you two looked so cute together! So how'd he finally ask you out? Did you have to hint at it?" Kirie's mother asked beaming.

"W-well, you see-" Kirie began nervously. "Y-yes! Yes, I hinted at it" Kirie answered quickly wanting to avoid the subject. "Anyways, I need a little help."

"Ah yes! The makeup" Kirie's mother said shutting the cosmetics kit. "Kirie, you're not the kind of girl who needs make up to look pretty."

"You're just saying that because you're my mom" Kirie accused.

"No, I'm serious. And if you were to apply makeup, it would be best to save it for some sort of big social event. And of course, you'd need the fancy clothes to go along with the eye liner and such." She takes the lipstick from Kirie's hand. "And this shade of red is too dark for simply going to school in an everyday school uniform. Try this" she says handing Kirie a light pink lipstick. "This color complements your skin tone very well as opposed to clashing with it. Subtlety is key in this respect."

Kirie accepts the new lipstick color and stares at herself briefly through the mirror again. "That, that looks nice!" she voices as she imagined the light pink on her lips. "Thanks mom!" Kirie says accepting her mother's advice gratefully before embracing her in a warm hug. "I hope Yukinari will like it."

"You're very welcome!" Misuzu says beaming. "And of course he will like it! He will love it!" A moment of silence.

"Uhh, mom... How do you put lipstick on?" Kirie asked awkwardly.

"Hehehehe" Kirie's mother giggled. "You've never worn lipstick have you?"

"N-no!" Kirie responded feeling somewhat ashamed. "You should be helping me! Not laughing at me!" Kirie complained.

"Of course dear" Mrs. Kojima returns as she takes the lipstick from Kirie's hand and explains the proper technique. A moment later, a knock comes at the front door.

"Oh, that must be him!" Kirie alerts. "That's gotta be Yukinari! Can you get that for me while I finish getting ready?" Kirie asked urgently revising her hair and straightening her school uniform.

"Of course!" Kirie's mother answers proceeding to the front door. Opening the door, she finds Yukinari standing there somewhat rigidly but retaining an aura of confidence.

"Hello, good morning Mrs. Kojima!" Yukinari greets politely. "Is Kirie ready to go?" he asked.

"Why yes she is!" Misuzu answered with enthusiasm. Just behind her appears Kirie, her book bag hanging from her shoulder. She joins her mother at the front door.

"Good morning Yukinari!"

"Good morning Kirie! All ready to go?"

"Yes, of course." Kirie steps out and joins Yukinari's side. "It's really nice that you've woken yourself up this morning by the way!"

"I don't always sleep in Kirie" Yukinari answered. "Today's an important day after all."

"I'm just glad I didn't have to wake you up. I'm usually the one waking you. I've actually had to shake you out of bed before!"

"That was only once!" Yukinari returned embarrassed.

"Don't worry Yukinari, I don't mind waking you up."

Yukinari smiles at Kirie but then both Yukinari and Kirie suddenly fall silent briefly and turn their gaze toward Kirie's mother who was wearing a look of absolute fascination with the two. "Oh-oh! Don't mind me! You two continue talking and pretend I'm not here!" Misuzu requests grinning sheepishly.

"Mom!" Kirie protested.

"So Yukinari, where will you be taking her today!?" Mrs. Kojima asked as though she were devouring juicy, delicious gossip and making Yukinari uneasy in the process.

"Mom! Don't pester him!" Kirie protested again.

"It's you two who are standing at my front door! Get going!" Misuzu Kojima says nudging Yukinari and Kirie out and away from the entrance. "Have fun you two!" she yells out, her arm waving them both goodbye as Yukinari and Kirie make their way towards school.

"Sorry about that Yukinari. Mom's got a thing for gossip. She did the same thing when she learned about Fukuyama and I."

"It's okay Kirie, really" Yukinari assures walking beside Kirie. He taps her left palm with his fingers and with affectionate smiles, their hands clasp each other.

"And don't sweat where you'll be taking me today Yukinari. Just choose any good eating spot. You don't have to bend over backwards on my account" Kirie assured. "Any place where we can spend time together is fine with me!"

"S-sure" Yukinari said shoving the issue aside for later. "I really like your lipstick by the way. You look very pretty."

"Do you mean that!?" Kirie asked delighted. She could help but feel great joy that Yukinari noticed she was wearing it.

"Yes Kirie, of course" Yukinari finished.

"Thank you Yukinari! Mom helped me with it" Kirie admitted awkwardly. "It's kind of embarrassing that I needed her help to put it on."

"You needed her help?" Yukinari asked incredulously.

"Don't look at me like that!" Kirie protests. "The shame is more than enough. I mean, it was something so simple!"

"Hehe, I would think so. And it makes sense: you were never into that stuff" Yukinari recalls. "But I like it Kirie" Yukinari repeated releasing his hold on her hand and instead wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Well, as long as you like it" Kirie returned leaning on him as both walked on, bodies close. This closeness did not fail to turn heads their way the instant they had set foot on campus. "I-is that Yukinari with Kirie!?", "No way! When did 'that' happen?", "How did he score a girl like her!?" was among the hushed chatter floating around. Yukinari and Kirie, too distracted by each other, fail to notice any of it and proceed to class. In the middle of class, Yukinari sat at his desk pondering deeply something that he had set aside earlier that day. "So... where should I take Kirie?" he wondered holding his head. He stared at Kirie who was busy cleaning the blackboard. "Taking her somewhere to eat seemed too average so... Maybe a space museum? She likes science after all... Maybe we could take a tour through a haunted house? Some people like a good scare. No, that's not so with Kirie. That really freaks her out. She hates that stuff.."

"Oh yes, that's right. I 'am' sexy" a conceited, self-absorbed voice enunciated from some other desk within the classroom. "What's that? Why yes, I 'am' handsome 'and' rich! Not to mention have lots of money!"

"That must be Fukuyama" Yukinari thought wearily.

"I'm so glad you dumped that ogrish brunette" a high-pitched girly voice declared from the same general area.

"Yeah, now we can have you all to ourselves" another equally girly voice resumed. Yukinari, turning his head towards the voices, finds Fukuyama holding two female students in his arms, one with long, dark purple hair and another with short, bright orange hair. Yukinari turning back to Kirie at the blackboard, cannot help but sense an irritation within Kirie growing and festering into an anger.

"Dumping her was the greatest decision I have ever made! Ugh! She was soooo needy and soooo boooring! You girls should have seen and heard her crying and screaming for me to take her back! It was so unsightly and embarrassing! It was difficult for me to turn my back on her but she deserved it: just using me to get a free limo and meal. Oh the curse of being me!"

"Kirie, don't let him get to you Kirie!" Yukinari thought looking at Kirie whose fist and arm were twitching in rage. The grip on the blackboard eraser, Yukinari could tell, was tightening.

"One can only pity her now. No more free meals for her" Fukuyama said clearly.

"Definitely" one of Fukuyama's girls agreed. After all of this, Kirie, to Yukinari's surprise, straightens up and places the eraser down. She apparently does not acknowledge Fukuyama's clear provocations and instead proceeds towards Yukinari's seat and takes a seat across his lap.

"Kirie? What are you doing?" Yukinari asked Kirie who wraps her arm around Yukinari's shoulders and starts to stroke Yukinari's hair.

"I'm sorry Yukinari, I'm just feeling exhausted for some reason! There was a lot of hot air in this room a few moments ago so I'm feeling a bit drained" Kirie explained. "That and I want to appreciate a real man for a change rather than some shallow, spoiled, one-dimensional pretty-boy who needs to wear gloves because of his psychological hang-ups."

"Kirie, you're only egging him on" Yukinari whispered.

"I'm not egging anyone on, I'm just talking to you" Kirie said rubbing her cheek with Yukinari's. "Oh! Your facial hair tickles! I can't wait to see you with a five o'clock shadow! Of course, only real men are able to grow beards!" Yukinari, deciphering Kirie's facial expression, could tell she was having a blast mocking Fukuyama. Whether it would work or not was another question. "Yep! Dumping Fukuyama was the best decision of my life! It was a gain! I can only feel sorry for the floozies who end up with him."

"Fukuyama dear? What's wrong? You look upset" one of the girls held by Fukuyama asked outloud. Fukuyama, to his own surprise, was finding Kirie's words particularly irksome, every word feeling like a rigid finger jabbing him in the back. It was enough that his own pride was hurt when he, the great and mighty Fukuyama, had been dumped.

"Man, Yukinari's so lucky" a boy with braces sitting near Fukuyama began. "He's got Kirie as a girlfriend! She's sitting on him damn it! How the hell did he manage to get her!?"

"Yeah, it boggles the mind. Kirie's from another planet so how Yukinari got her I'll never know. I mean she's the only girl to have ever dumped the school pretty boy, Fukuyama!" another boy answered in Fukuyama's proximity. "She dumped THE Fukuyama and now she's with Yukinari!"

"She dumped Fukuyama!? I thought that was an urban legend!" a tall boy chimed in with a gasp.

"I think Yukinari and Kirie have known each other since they were kids" the boy with braces continued. "That's home field advantage at work: of course she'd fall for him."

"From the looks of it, that Yukinari's been working out. I guess Kirie likes the fit types" the tall boy finished.

"What's this!? They should be envying me, not that Punynari!" Fukuyama thought annoyed. Not only was Fukuyama's dating life no longer the subject of other boys' envy, to add to his defeat, Fukuyama's once perfect dating record was tarnished. No one dumped the great and mighty Fukuyama! No one!.. No one except Kirie! "Kirie, did I hear right?" Fukuyama asked Kirie across the room. "Did I just hear that 'you' dumped 'me'!?"

"That's right! You know it and I know it! I dumped YOU!" Kirie insisted standing up.

"Kirie, just ignore him" Yukinari whispered.

"No! I only took pity on you Kirie! Pining away for Yukinari like that! I knew your motives since day one! You were pathetic!"

"As if I'd ever need pity from the likes of you!" Kirie countered irritated. "Someone who I'm willing to bet doesn't even know the names of his own floozies. What are their names Fukuyama?"

"Who-whose names?" Fukuyama asked.

"Ours!" the two girls standing behind Fukuyama immediately voiced.

"Your names? Uhh" Fukuyama struggled with recalling their names. "They are... uhh." An awkward moment of silence followed, Fukuyama's girls glaring at him. "...Crap! Hey, where are you going?" Fukuyama asked as the two girls began to walk out of the class, their hands at their sides.

"Serves you right" Kirie said sitting back down on Yukinari's lap.

"Damn it Kirie!" Fukuyama restarted angrily but then, abruptly, he calmed himself. "Hmph!" He walks up to Kirie and says "Kirie, this proves you miss me and you never truly got over me!"

"No" Kirie said confidently. "And again, I dumped you. You didn't dump me" Kirie said not even looking in Fukuyama's direction.

Yukinari noticed Fukuyama's patience wearing thinner and thinner and Kirie, calmly and quietly leaning on him. Yukinari couldn't help but be surprised by this. He was expecting Fukuyama to get to Kirie, Kirie to lose her temper and beat Fukuyama after Fukuyama had said such things. It's happened before. But she didn't: she stayed seated. "Damn it Kirie! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Fukuyama demanded. Kirie, with an exhausted sigh, stands up a second time and faces the blonde pervert.

"Okay Fukuyama, what the hell do you want now?"

"You've cost me my girls!" Fukuyama exclaimed. "How do you plan on compensating!?"

"I didn't cost you anything, that was your own fault. And now you're ruining my day. Go sit down" Kirie said again sitting back down on Yukinari's lap, her cold shoulder jabbing Fukuyama.

Fukuyama's face was twisted in anger but, as though he were afflicted by mood-swings, it very quickly was engulfed with a sloppy, goofy, perverted face as his arms hovered around Kirie, his gloved hands threatening her chest. "It's okay Kirie. I can think of one way you can repay me! Hihihihihihihihihihi!" Fukuyama cackled licking his lips, his brow glistening with sweat. His hands quickly struck much too quick for Kirie to react. Fukuyama was in bliss: he lived to enjoy a woman's chest and Kirie's was among the best in Mizuno. Kirie's chest was perfection: they felt excruciatingly painful, they halted and paralyzed his arms, and almost crushed his wrist bones. This was bliss to him as it would be to any man. "...W-wait a minute..." he suddenly thought. Looking down at his hands, he found them not caressing Kirie but rather in Yukinari's fierce grasp.

"Hey Fukuyama" Yukinari said, an anger behind his soft smile. "Last time you tried something like this, I simply stood and watched. I don't intend to let it happen again" Yukinari finished as he squeezed Fukuyama's lecherous hands tighter.

"Pu-Punynari! Damn it, that hurts! Let go!" Fukuyama demanded struggling.

"Hate to have to break whatever manicure you're fashioning under these gloves" Yukinari threatens.

Fukuyama, after Yukinari lessens his grip, tears his gloved hands out of Yukinari's grasp and begins to massage them. Fukuyama, directing his words towards Kirie, says with a grin "well, I see you and Yukinari are like THAT eh? Well, I never thought Punynari had it in him to put it in you!"

Kirie, her face becoming slightly red and a vein pulsating in her forehead at Fukuyama's obvious dirty joke, succeeds in ignoring the rude comment and agrees. "Yes, we're like that" Kirie answers, a pride rising in her voice. "Now do like me and go sit down" Kirie finishes.

"Like you? Do you want me to sit on another man's lap then?" Fukuyama remarked slyly. "I had two girls sitting on my lap 'til you interfered."

"That would actually be pretty funny. I'd pay to see that!" Kirie returns with a smirk to Fukuyama's grumble. "Look, if it means that much to you, you dumped me. There, your record is saved" Kirie said. It was then that the teacher finally walks into the class and Fukuyama, without another word, stomps back to his desk.

"You handled that well Kirie" Yukinari complimented. "I was expecting you to beat him."

"Yes well, I was thinking about beating him. I came real close. He's an ex: I'm learning that they can be a real pain. But then again, Fukuyama was always a pain."

"So what was his deal?" Yukinari asked.

"Turns out I'm the only girl to have ever dumped him, the great and mighty Fukuyama. He's not too happy with his dating record being tarnished. It was bound to happen eventually" Kirie concluded.

"Sucks for him I guess" Yukinari said looking in Fukuyama's direction to find him seated with arms boastfully folded, his chin proudly up in the air. Yukinari chuckles. "Heheh! It's not hard imagining him obsessing over something silly like that!"

"By the way Yukinari, what is that?" Kirie asked rubbing against Yukinari's lap trying to get more comfortable.

"K-Kirie... P-please don't do that..." Yukinari said slightly anguished.

"Yukinari... You pervert" Kirie disciplined with a flattered grin.

"And you keep that away from my sister!" Fukuyama shouted from across the room. At the teacher's command, Kirie returns to her desk, one seat in front of Yukinari's.

An hour and a half later, Yukinari and Kirie stood at the entrance to detention, Kirie readying to resume her sentence after she had hit Shinichi several days ago. "Well, detention's gonna drag out today" Kirie said just outside the detention room. As was expected, she was only very eager to go on her date with Yukinari.

"So I'll come pick you up once it's done. Give me a call if it ends early though! I'll be at the club working out."

"Of course" Kirie agrees and purses her lips for a goodbye kiss. Yukinari follows along and their lips meet. They wave goodbye and Kirie enters detention. With that settled, Yukinari heads for the UFC where he greets Nina as had become his routine.

"So? How'd it go?" Nina asked as soon as greetings were out of the way.

"You mean Kirie and I? I've asked her out! We're boyfriend and girlfriend now!" Yukinari declared gladly.

"Really? Well good for you!" Nina congratulated smiling. "But what about Lisa?" Nina asked releasing her smile.

"Lisa?... Lisa..." Yukinari voiced becoming somewhat somber. "She was very brave and wished Kirie and I luck... I'm still a little saddened by the fact that we couldn't stay friends though. But then again, it was probably for the best. It would have been cruel to just have her as a friend, always watching from the outside. Kind of like how Kirie used to be..." Yukinari said thinking back and forth between Lisa and Kirie.

"I'm sorry to hear that" Nina returned. "...So where are you taking her?"

"Well actually, I've been thinking about that since this morning but so far, I have no clue where I should take her. Maybe a movie or some fancy restaurant."

"It doesn't really matter where you take her Yukinari. She'll be happy either way as long as you're there with her" Nina says. "But I think I've known her long enough to know where she would absolutely love to go today."

"Really? Where?"

"You head off to the training room and do your thing. You'll find out by the time your done" Nina instructed as she pulled out a lap top and started tapping away at the keys. Yukinari, obeying Nina's orders, headed off to the training room. About an hour later, after finishing with exercise, Yukinari was unable to articulate how thankful he was to Nina for the incredible favor she had done him.

"Miss Nina, are you sure about this?" Yukinari asks astounded.

"Yeah, they're in your hand, aren't they?" Nina said. "I'm very sure!"

"Thank you Miss Nina! Thank you so much!" Yukinari said eternally grateful.

"You're very welcome! Now you go take Kirie and show her a good time!" Nina commands.

"Yes ma'am!" Yukinari obeys and makes his way out of the club. He hurried home to freshen up and get out of his school uniform, in the middle of this, he gets a text.

"Yukinari" Kirie's text read, "just wanted to let you know that I'll be done with detention in ten minutes! Can you come pick me up in 25? I need the extra fifteen to freshen up!"

"Sure thing" Yukinari texted back. He calls up a cab to show up after 20 and upon arrival, is driven to his school. He finds her just outside of Mizuno High's school grounds waiting for him patiently out of her school uniform and in a pink tube top and denim jacket, skinny jeans, boots, and a fresh application of pink lipstick on her lips.

"Kirie? When did you change into those clothes?" Yukinari asked completely impressed.

"Right after detention. I snuck 'em in this morning!" Kirie reveals cheekily. "The school does have showers and lockers for girls you know."

"Wow! You look stunning Kirie!" Yukinari compliments.

"Thank you!" Kirie says fashioning pink dots on her cheeks.

"So? Shall we go?" Yukinari asks presenting Kirie his forearm.

"Let's" she answers wrapping her arm around his own. "But where will we be going?"

"You'll see" Yukinari said as he helped Kirie into the taxi. "Try guessing" Yukinari challenges, both seated in the back.

"Hmm" Kirie pondered as the taxi drove forward. "The new restaurant that opened up in the shopping district? 'Urusawa' I believe it's called?"

"Nope!"

"Okay... I'm going to guess Mizuno theme park! That's a hot-spot for couples!" Kirie guessed a second time.

"Wrong again" Yukinari disappoints his date.

"Well I'm out of guesses" Kirie surrenders. "I give up! Where are we headed?"

"You'll find out soon enough" Yukinari answered pulling Kirie close, their faces approaching. Inevitably, both start to kiss and forget all about the driver at the steering wheel. Their lips press and cross and their arms wrap around each other during most of the drive. Eventually, amid the smooching, the taxi begins to slow down as it approaches a large and imposing stadium with people wearing 'Mizuno Mavericks' shirts and jerseys flowing in.

"Ahem!.. Alright lovebirds, don't get any of it on the back seats. We're approaching our destination" the driver announces and finally, Yukinari manages to tear himself away from Kirie.

"..Oh, sorry" Yukinari apologizes and, after Kirie helps wipe the lipstick off his face, hands the driver the fee. With that done, he and Kirie exit and the taxi takes off.

"Mi-Mizuno stadium!?" Kirie exclaims surprised taking in the massive structure standing before her. "Yukinari, you can't be serious!"

"I'm very serious Kirie" Yukinari declares presenting the two tickets Nina had handed to him back at the UFC. Kirie takes the tickets as though they were made of the rarest yet most delicate material on Earth.

"Yu-Yukinari, tickets to this game must have cost a bunch! I-I can't accept this!" Kirie gasped. "You didn't have to spend so much on my account!"

"Actually, Miss Nina got these for-"

"What the hell are we waiting for then!?" Kirie exclaimed interrupting Yukinari, seizing his hand and pulling him toward the stadium. "Let's go!" she shouts speeding towards the entrance, Yukinari struggling to keep up. "I was going to watch this game on television today but passed it up when you asked me out! I never thought you'd bring me here of all places!" Kirie revealed to Yukinari as they entered the baseball stadium. "Look at the size of this place!" Kirie shouted taking in the entire scene before her: the rows upon rows of seats circling the baseball diamond, the massive lights shining down on the stadium, the countless number of fans both getting up from and taking their seats, Kirie's fellow Maverick fans and a number of fans of the visiting team. "Over there Yukinari! Our seats are over there!" an elated Kirie exclaimed reviewing the tickets. "This is great! This is great! This is great!"

"Kirie, you're really into this" Yukinari thought admiringly. "Good to see her enjoying herself. And the game hasn't even started!" he observed humorously. Soon, both he and Kirie took their seats though Kirie would rarely stay seated. Several innings later, bases were loaded and the Mizuno Mavericks, one of Kirie's favorite teams, were at bat.

"Hit it out of the ball park Shigeru! You can turn the game around!" she shouted, a fire ablaze in her eyes. Shigeru takes a swing and strikes out. "Shigeru, you piece of crap! What the hell was that!?" Kirie exclaimed leaning over the railing. "That should have been an easy hit! You were doing so well previous innings!... Ugh!... We still love you though!" Kirie added as Shigeru returned to the dugout. Out of the dugout walked out another player. "Who are they bringing out now?" she asks looking at the stadium monitor. "Matsumoto!? Hell yeah, he'll get it this time!"

"Hehehe! She shouts at the television the same way!" Yukinari thought chuckling.

"Hey lady! Sit down will ya?" a man shouted from somewhere behind her.

"You shut it! I'm enjoying the game!" Kirie shouted back. "You should stand up and support your team!"

"Yeah man, leave the lady alone!" a fellow fan wearing face paint responded in defense of Kirie. "She's a fellow Mavericks fan and she's here for her team!"

"Thank you sir" Kirie said gratefully. "Us Mavericks fans need to stick together!" Kirie declares proudly.

"Hey lady, show your pride and take your top off!" another man with a beer shouted loudly from higher up in the seats.

"I'll rip your head off!" Kirie shouted back angrily, covering her chest with her denim jacket.

"Kirie" Yukinari says joining her, "let's go sit down." He wraps his arm around her and leads her back to their seats.

"But I'm having fun..." Kirie says somewhat demoralized.

"Shouting at people can't be that fun" Yukinari observes.

"Oh, okay fine" she agrees and both together take a seat. "...The guy's lucky though. I would have thrown something at the bastard" Kirie threatened.

"But then you'd get in trouble and we'd probably get kicked out" Yukinari warns being familiar with Kirie's temper. "That wouldn't be much fun... Here, I got you this" Yukinari said presenting Kirie a baseball mitt. "If they hit a strike this way, maybe you'll catch it."

"A homer, Yukinari" Kirie corrected. "In this case, a grand slam!"

"Sorry, I don't know much about baseball" Yukinari excused handing the mitt to Kirie.

"I guess now would be a good time for me to teach you then" Kirie suggested. She fits the glove over her hand but remains somewhat unconvinced. "It's highly unlikely Yukinari. But then again, Matsumoto is at bat so-" the sound of a bat hitting a baseball echoes throughout the stadium and the ball flies high up in the sky. At this, several in the audience eject a loud and powerful cheer and the baseball players at the diamond take flight. "He hit it! It's going that way!" Kirie exclaimed getting up from her seat, her gloved hand flying up, her legs taking flight and sending her around along the circumference of the stadium. "I, I got it!"

"Kirie, hold on!" Yukinari shouts running after her. His pursuit comes to a stop as soon as she halts believing her location was where the ball would land.

"It's coming this way!" she lets out bending her knees ready to leap up and catch the grand slam.

"It's too high" Yukinari remarked tracing the ball's path as others in the audience were also cheering and standing up ready to wrestle for the ball.

"I, I've got it!" Kirie claimed but Yukinari, not ready to see Kirie disappointed, suddenly grasps her by her waist. "Yukinari, what are you-" With a flick of his arms, Yukinari lifts Kirie upward, the reach of her arm flying up higher. "Whoa!" she exclaims as she flies up and then, just as quickly, falls back down to be caught in Yukinari's arms. "Yukinari! What was that for!?" she gasps wrapping her arms around him.

"Did you get it?" Yukinari inquired. Kirie, opening her baseball glove, finds the ball safe and secure within her grasp.

"We got it!" she cries out and she tightens her embrace around Yukinari.

"And the Mavericks are in the lead! A grand slam for the Mavericks!" the announcer proclaims to which the audience explodes into a frenzy of celebration, the stadium screen joining in on the excitement. On the same screen suddenly, after showing the baseball players running to home plate and after some of the cheering had died down, Yukinari and Kirie are depicted in elation. "And we have a lovely and lucky couple celebrating an extra victory folks. They make off with a souvenir this afternoon!"

Yukinari and Kirie, looking up at the monitor, see themselves embracing each other. Kirie's arms around Yukinari, Yukinari holding Kirie close by her waist. And then, as though by instinct, they look into each others' eyes and, overcome by emotion, lock lips. An "aww" is let out by the audience.

"Well, isn't that sweet ladies and gentlemen. Love and baseball, they go hand-in-hand" the announcer broadcasts and the seemingly bored co-announcer rolls his eyes. Yukinari and Kirie quickly take a seat partly due to Kirie preferring not to have her affections broadcasted on a giant monitor at a televised baseball stadium...

After a close and tense Maverick victory, Yukinari and Kirie exit the stadium and re-enter a taxi ready to head home. "Today was wonderful Yukinari. Greatest baseball game ever!... And I'm exhausted" Kirie says resting her head on Yukinari's shoulder, both seated in the back seat, the baseball caught during the game firmly in her grasp.

"I'm glad you had fun Kirie" Yukinari said with satisfaction, glad things turned out this way. At the same time however, he couldn't help but recall a time when he felt this way when he was with Miharu. It was a frightening thought but ultimately, he acknowledged this was a risk he had to take when it came to love. "Love is scary" he repeated to himself in thought. "...I'm starving Kirie. You wanna go eat somewhere?"

"I want to go home Yukinari. I'll cook you something healthy and delicious once we get there!" Kirie offered. "Certainly better than the ball park hot dogs you wanted to buy! With the fillers and stuff your body doesn't need!"

"Yeah, you were probably right about those hot dogs. Once we get home, we should work up an even bigger appetite by then too!"

"Sure..." Kirie agrees. "...Yukinari, we should head to the UFC first. We need to thank Miss Nina for today" Kirie said.

"You're right Kirie" Yukinari agreed, an arm wrapped around her. "Driver!" Yukinari started and instructed the driver to head towards the club. Moments later, they are dropped off at the entrance and Yukinari instructs the driver to wait for them there. "Good afternoon Miss Nina! We're back from our date!" Yukinari announced entering.

"Oh! Welcome back Yukinari! Kirie! Did you two have fun?" Nina asked from behind the front counter.

"Lots! Greatest game ever!" Kirie claimed. "Thank you so very very much Miss Nina!"

"It was nothing Kirie, really" Nina said.

"It's about damn time you got back!" a familiar voice sounded out. Turning towards the voice, Yukinari finds Seiichirou sitting on the floor, his arms behind his back.

"Hello Yukinari, Kirie" Maharu, Seiichirou's older sister, greets watching over Seiichirou.

"I've been waiting here forever Sasaki!" Seiichirou continued annoyed.

Author's note: Loved writing this one. A bit indulgent, yes, but I like it! I find it romantic... So, the usual crap: school and work hence the slow updates! Urgh! Finals and term papers are coming up also! Rarrgh! Thank you so very much for your patience and for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

Season 3 Episode 47: Let's Be Bravo!

"Miss Nina, what's going on?" Yukinari asks watching Seiichirou seated on the floor. "Why are Seiichirou's hands tied?"

"Because we need him to calm down a bit" Maharu answers. "Isn't that right little brother?" she asks crossing her arms and mockingly planting her foot on Seiichirou's head to restrict his movement.

"Calm down? I'm plenty calm!" Seiichirou retorts pushing back against his older sister.

"Not calm enough!" Maharu growls. "Stop resisting!"

"Actually, you and Nina just enjoy watching me struggle" Seiichirou countered. "Good timing by the way Sasaki" Seiichirou directs at Yukinari. "I've been wanting to speak to you."

"With me?" Yukinari asked.

"Yeah, that's right: I want a rematch!" Seiichirou suddenly demanded.

"A rematch?" Yukinari repeats.

"Yes! Didn't you hear me the first time?"

"Yes, I did but I'm surprised you'd ask for that" Yukinari says looking at Nina who rolls her eyes unsurprised by Seiichirou's behavior.

"So?" Seiichirou continues fidgeting with his bound hands. Yukinari, knowing what answer he was about to give, looks at Nina again and then at Maharu and then finally at Kirie. Nina and Maharu give him looks as if saying "no way!" and Kirie softly shakes her head.

"No" Yukinari answers with no hesitation.

"No what?" Seiichirou asks in a demanding tone.

"No, I don't care for a rematch. It's such a pain" Yukinari answers swiftly.

"It's a pain? Are you kidding me? You chickening out!?"

"No, I'm not kidding you! You bleed and you feel sore all over your body afterwards" Yukinari complains. "And it hurts your brain! You've heard about retired boxers and their brain damage haven't you?" Seiichirou only looks back at Yukinari as though he were saying something outrageous. "What? Do you think I fought you for fun? No! I fought you so that you'd let Miharu go! Now that she's free from the house arrest she was under, I have no reason to fight you! The affair is over so I'm just interested in staying in shape and having a good time here at the club."

"So I've gotta put my sister under house arrest again to make you fight me?" Seiichirou asks somewhat sarcastically.

"You're not doing any such thing now that I'm here" Maharu declared behind Seiichirou.

"Tch, joy kill" Seiichirou complains under his breath.

"And I'll have no such senseless friction and antagonizing between members at my club Seiichirou" Nina says proceeding toward Miharu's older brother. "You're free to come here for as long as you want to but you're going to have to make friends with Yukinari." Nina, wearing a slight grin, lifts Seiichirou up to his feet and removes the binding on his hands. "So I'd really appreciate it if you shake hands like men with Yukinari and accept your shameful, embarrassing defeat at his hands" Nina commands moreso for her own entertainment than genuine concern.

"Miss Nina! Bad choice of words!" Yukinari exclaims mentally.

"You must be kidding me Miss Nina!" Seiichirou protested.

"I'm not kidding" Nina says shoving Seiichirou forward and in front of Yukinari. Again, she commands "now do it! Shake hands and make peace."

"You can't force this Miss Nina" Yukinari continues in thought, "but it's worth a shot." Seiichirou looks at Yukinari who holds his hand out. He then looks at Kirie standing at Yukinari's side, a firm expression on her face.

"Ha! Yeah right!" he blurts out turning away. "As if!"

"How rude!" Kirie reprimands. "What's your deal!?"

"Sigh. You're not going to make this easy are you?" Nina asked already predicting the answer.

"Nope!" Seiichirou declares flatly. Nina does not respond to this and instead ponders for a while. For an instant, she considers banning him but instead comes up with something else.

"...So you wanna challenge Yukinari again huh?"

"Yes, I do! I wanna get even!" Seiichirou says with full conviction in his voice.

"Well then, I have an idea but we'll have to wait 'til tomorrow" Nina says looking back and forth between Yukinari and Seiichirou.

"Miss Nina, I have no such interest in fighting Seiichirou again" Yukinari protests.

"Don't worry Yukinari, I'll handle this. I promise you, by the end of this, things will have worked out" Nina assured and Yukinari fell silent deciding to trust her word.

"Can't wait!" Seiichirou says eagerly cracking his neck. "When and where?"

"Tomorrow at three in the afternoon at the beach."

"The beach?" Yukinari and Seiichirou ask in unison.

"Yep! The beach! Are you two game?"

"I'm game!" Seiichirou confirms quickly. He and Nina then turn their gaze toward Yukinari.

"Fine" Yukinari agrees feeling tired.

"Good. Tomorrow at three it is. Now you all get going" Nina says noting the dusk sky, "and bring your best beachwear!" she instructs. Seiichirou without another word proceeds out with Maharu following behind.

"Goodbye you three" Maharu says waving goodbye.

"Goodbye" Yukinari and Kirie return.

"So I can expect you to be there too Maharu? I may need your assistance" Nina directs at Maharu.

"Sure. I'll be there to keep an eye on Seiichirou. I'll see you there" Maharu answered before finally setting off.

Yukinari then turns to Nina to say goodbye but he's stopped to find Kirie walking up to the club owner.

"So Miss Nina, what's the plan?" Kirie asked.

"I don't want to tell you: it will ruin the surprise" Nina reasoned. "And who doesn't like surprises?"

"Oh come on, I won't tell Yukinari! I swear!"

"Kirie" Yukinari disciplined grabbing her by the arm, "let's go!"

"Goodbye you two!" Nina waved off.

"I just wanna know! Is that so wrong?" Kirie moaned as she was pulled outside. Moments later, a taxi pulled up to the club. "...So what do you think Miss Nina has in mind asking you to go to the beach tomorrow?" Kirie asked moments later seated inside the taxi driving them home.

"I honestly have no clue Kirie. Miss Nina seems to be full of surprises" Yukinari said. "But to be honest, I have a good feeling about tomorrow. I'd actually like to be friends with Seiichirou."

"You would? Is he the kind of guy you'd want to make friends with?" Kirie asked.

"...Actually, yes." Yukinari then tells Kirie about how Miharu had been treated well while under house arrest. Yukinari then told her about the fact that Seiichirou had once defended Miharu from a kidnapper who had somehow figured a way into Seiren.

"Are you serious!?" Kirie gasped. "Wow... He killed the guy!? Who would have guessed it?"

"Yeah, Maharu told me all about it when she lead the way to where Miharu was being held" Yukinari continued.

"I always thought he was just some adrenaline junkie. To think he's in any way related to someone as sweet and gentle as Miharu or that he rescued her that way. It must have been traumatizing to have done that at a young age... To have ended a life..." Kirie finishes deep in thought.

"Which is why I'm hoping Miss Nina can have things, as she puts it, 'worked out'."

"Let's hope so" Kirie finished and the taxi comes to a stop and the driver drops them off in front of the Sasaki residence. "He calls you by your last name now. I think he respects you a little more after you beat him fair and square!"

"You might be right Kirie." Both proceed to the front door of Yukinari's house and Yukinari pulls out a set of keys from his pocket.

"Kirie, are you coming in?" Yukinari asked searching for the key to his front door.

"Actually, I was hoping we could have dinner together" Kirie suggests. "My mom's taught me a couple of recipes and I've practiced them. She let me bring over some of the ingredients from our kitchen so maybe I could make us something? Would you like me to do that?"

"That would be very lovely Kirie. Thank you!" Yukinari couldn't help but grin at having Kirie over at his house after their date. She was going to cook for him. What guy could say 'no' to a girl cooking him dinner? And maybe afterward, they could spend some quality time alone together Yukinari figured with a sheepish grin. He was a guy and he has his guyish needs too after all. "Alright Kirie, as a matter of fact, I 'am' hungry and I'd like to lend you a hand!"

"Do you know how to cook Yukinari?" Kirie asked. "Maybe you could teach me a thing or two?"

"I do if you count boiling water as cooking. I could teach you that" Yukinari quips making Kirie giggle. "Of course, I'm kidding. Living on my own means I have to cook for myself but it'll be nice to cook with someone for a change."

"Okay, then it's a plan" Kirie agreed as Yukinari opened the front door only to be met by the loud wail from some entity in the house.

"Nnyyaaaaahhh!" The sound pierced the air in the house.

"What the hell was that!?" Kirie asked grasping Yukinari's arm fearing what sounded like a ghost or haunting lurking in the darkness of her boyfriend's home. Yukinari flicked the lights on to the living room to find a little girl running downstairs in a panic. Wearing one of Yukinari's shirts which reached down below her knees and a yellow bow decorating her dark green hair, Kirie immediately recognized her. "Ebi!? It's Ebi!" Kirie said relieved running into the house and picking Ebi up into her arms. "Ebi, it's been so long!" Kirie said smiling nostalgically. "But what are you doing here?" she asked looking around. "You seem upset" she commented noting Ebi's large, green eyes watering.

"Nyaa nyaahh" Ebi let out weakly.

"Drop the patient this instant!" a girl with orange hair in a makeshift doctor's outfit suddenly demanded. Yukinari and Kirie quickly recognized it was Tomoka.

"Tomoka, you're here too? What are you doing?" Kirie asked suspicious. "Have you been teasing Ebi!?" Kirie demands.

"No! We started playing doctor and she freaked out when Tomo pulled this out" Tomoka revealed pulling out a fierce-looking saw.

"Hey! Put that away!" Kirie protested angrily. "What are you doing scaring her with that!? Are you crazy!?" Kirie asks as Koyomi joins them quietly.

"No, Tomo's not crazy! We have to remove her appendix before it bursts!" Tomoka says waving the saw.

"Tomoka!" Kirie repeated angrily.

"Relax! It's rubber" Tomoka reveals bending the saw with one hand. "We're just pretending."

"I know that but she's a little kid, younger than you!"

"Are you sure Kirie?" Yukinari pondered humorously to himself. "We're not exactly sure Ebi's even human."

"Apologize to Ebi Tomoka" Kirie commanded, Ebi in Kirie's arms tearily looking Tomoka's way.

Tomoka frowns but guilt sets in and she looks away. "To-Tomo's sorry..." she mutters swallowing her pride. Kirie, not totally convinced, turns towards Ebi in her arms.

"It's okay Ebi, she's going to leave you alone now" Kirie assures.

"Nya nyaah~" Ebi murmured the only sound she knew how to make.

"Awww, you are too cute!" Kirie says beaming at Ebi. "Hello Koyomi! Good evening!" Kirie greets turning towards Koyomi.

"He-hello Kirie."

"You guys brought Ebi along this time" Kirie said. "It's really nice to see her again! So where was she last time you visited Earth?" she asked.

"We left her with an acquaintance back home" Koyomi answered. "We don't want to bring her along with us during work but since we're not working at the moment, we brought her along."

"Yukinari, you don't mind having an extra visitor over do you?" Kirie asks holding Ebi out toward Yukinari.

"Of course not Kirie" Yukinari returns receiving Ebi.

"Alright, I'll get mom's recipe started" Kirie declares as she proceeds towards the kitchen.

"May I help Kirie?" Koyomi asked.

"Sure. I'll probably need it."

"Hello Ebi" Yukinari greets holding Ebi at arm's length. Ebi simply stares back at Yukinari curiously. "What? Don't you recognize me Ebi? Do I look that different? Is it the five o'clock shadow starting to grow in?" He takes a seat at his couch and places Ebi next to him. "Well Ebi, I guess you've helped to cancel my plans for tonight" Yukinari says smiling at Ebi who again returns another curious stare. "...Hey Tomoka, what's Ebi supposed to be?" Yukinari asked after looking Ebi over curiously.

"Tomo doesn't know" Tomoka answers taking a seat on the same couch. Immediately, Ebi runs to take shelter behind Yukinari. "What? Tomo's not going to do anything!" she declares removing her makeshift doctor's outfit.

"But last time she was like this it was because you used your magic on her. Isn't she supposed to be like a yellow cat seal with antennae or something?"

"Again, Tomo doesn't know. The game's over Ebi!" Tomoka insisted after Ebi still refused to leave Yukinari's side.

"So Tomoka, what brings you and Koyomi over?"

"We're on vacation so we've decided to pay you guys a visit and spend the time here on Earth" Tomoka reveals. "In some ways, Earth is more fun than Seiren anyways."

"I tried to convince her to ask if we could come over but she wouldn't listen" Koyomi says apologetically as she tied an apron around herself. "I'm really sorry Yukinari. We didn't mean to intrude."

"It's no problem Koyomi, really! I don't mind your company" Yukinari says getting more comfortable on the couch. "This house isn't so lonely with you guys around."

"See Koyo? Tomo told you he wouldn't mind!" Tomoka said confidently. Tomoka seizes the remote suddenly and flicks on the television. "Let's see what's on the tube!"

"So girls" Yukinari begins to ask Koyomi and Tomoka, "since you're both on vacation, how about we go to the beach tomorrow? I don't think we've ever gone to the beach before."

"That would be lovely Yukinari" Koyomi says from the kitchen, her sleeves rolled up as she helps Kirie prepare dinner.

"Yeah sure" Tomoka answers coming across a show on dolphins that was just about to wrap up. "But what about Lisa? Is she coming?" Tomoka asks looking around. The atmosphere is suddenly stung by silence save for the television and the sound of Kirie and Koyomi cooking.

"Well Tomoka, we've had a bit of a falling out recently" Yukinari revealed after the pause.

"Oh. Is that so?" Tomoka said getting back to the television show. "Tomo's sorry to hear that."

"It's okay Tomoka. In a way, it was probably for the best..." Yukinari said feeling a heavy guilt. The guilt did not last however; about an hour later, it subsided with the setting of dinner upon the table. Among the dishes a beautiful chirashi sushi and miso glazed black cod, a dinner carefully crafted with love and care by Kirie and Koyomi's very own delicate hands.

"Mom's recipe!" Kirie said impressed with herself and Koyomi. "Can't believe we actually pulled this off!"

"Itadakimasu!" all at the table declared save for Ebi who was too young to be familiar with table manners.

"Umm, can Ebi eat human food?" Kirie asks seated at the table.

"Tomo feeds her human food all the time so it's no problem" Tomoka said.

They all sat and ate, excluding Ebi who Kirie fed herself from her own plate as Ebi, brimming with energy as children often were, ran around the dinner table. It didn't take long to finish considering how good the food was and soon enough all sat before the television, conversing and, at Kirie's recommendation, watched crime scene investigation shows.

-TRANSITION-

The following day after school, Yukinari, in dark blue beach shorts, Kirie, in a modest red bikini set and beach skirt, Koyomi, in a purple one-piece with frill at the waist and chest, Tomoka, wearing the same but in orange, and Ebi, a yellow one-piece equipped with a skirt like Kirie's all arrive at the beach. The beach, a long, wide, white-yellow band of burning sand caressing the great and endless Pacific Ocean was littered with beachgoers, umbrellas, large beach balls flying up and floating down, and lifeguard towers.

"This breeze is the best!" Kirie exclaimed taking in the massive blue body of water that fused with the blue sky at the horizon. "The Pacific Ocean! The greatest of all the oceans on all of planet Earth! The way it fuses with the sky at the horizon! There's no end to it!" Turning to Tomoka, Kirie challenges "hey Tomoka, bet there's no ocean that compares to this one back in Seiren!"

"Psht, please Kirie! It's just a bunch of water!" Tomoka dismissed. "We've got plenty water back in Seiren" Tomoka claimed running towards the shore line.

"Wait Tomoka, you need sunblock!" Kirie shouts holding a bottle in her hand.

"Tomo doesn't need sunblock! That's for kids!"

"Yes you do!" Kirie objects. "And you 'are' a kid!" Immediately, Ebi darts out following Tomoka but she is quickly seized by Kirie who lifts her up by her arms. "Oh no you don't! Tomoka can stand to learn the hard way but I'm not letting you get sun burn!" As Kirie rubbed ointment on Ebi's shoulders, Yukinari scanned the beach in search of Miss Nina or Seiichirou, whichever he spotted first but preferring to run into the former before the latter. "Hold still Ebi, this is for your own good!"

"Nyaaa, nyaaa!" Ebi whined and wiggled eager to get to the water.

"Hold on! Just one more thing!" Kirie said putting arm floaties on Ebi's arms. "There, you can go now." At this, Ebi darts towards the water following behind Tomoka. "I'm going to go keep an eye on Tomoka and Ebi" Kirie says as she applies sunblock on her own skin. "Help get it on my back Yukinari" Kirie asked.

"Sure" Yukinari agrees as he rubs sunblock on Kirie's back. "...Okay, there you go Kirie. Now I'll set up the tent while I keep an eye out for Miss Nina" Yukinari says as he starts to assemble the beach tent. "I'll see you in a bit" Yukinari says.

"Yeah, 'kay" Kirie agrees and puckers up. Yukinari follows through pressing his lips against the brunette's. "Here you go Koyomi" Kirie hands the ointment to Koyomi and she parts both their company. "Koyomi, could you hand me that there?" Yukinari asks pointing at a plastic bag containing thin metal cylinders and long, elastic, plastic rods which formed the tent's skeleton.

"S-sure!" Koyomi answers quickly and hands the objects over as Yukinari was stabbing and hammering a number of support rods into the sand.

"Thanks" Yukinari replies.

"Would you like any more help?"

"No Koyomi, this is actually a pretty easy tent to put together. My dad and I would always build them together when we would go fishing so this is nothing. Thank you anyways." Several minutes later, the beach tent was done and set up, a large and spacious tent with a wide and tall zippered entrance. "There we are! What do you think Koyomi?" Yukinari asked beholding the large rectangular tent sitting before him.

"I think it's a fine tent Yukinari" Koyomi, lying on a beach chair, praised from behind a book she had brought along.

"Thanks" Yukinari said as he dragged a cooler into the tent. "She's all ready. You can go in now if you like Koyomi, needless to say." He then grabbed the sunblock and ran the lotion over his chest, shoulders, and arms. "...Eh, Koyomi, is something the matter?"

"Wha-What!? No, of course not!" Koyomi said quickly retreating behind her book. For some reason, she had to watch Yukinari put the lotion on.

"Oh... Koyomi, could you help me with this? I can't reach the middle of my back" Yukinari says handing the sunblock over and turning his back to her.

"Uhh... O-okay" Koyomi agrees nervously standing from her beach chair and taking the sunblock. She drops an amount into her palm and braces herself. "He-here goes" she nervously ponders to herself and, after taking a deep breath, quickly presses her palm against his back. She quickly rubs the lotion across various parts of Yukinari's back which felt like pressing against a solid wall. For Koyomi, it was the first time she had ever willingly touched a guy and in this case, it was a guy she was familiar with which made it extra unnerving. "The-there you go Yukinari! Well, i-if you don't mind, I-I'll be heading inside now!" Koyomi said grabbing her beach chair and quickly retreating into the tent.

"Make yourself comfortable Koyomi. That's what the tent's there for" Yukinari welcomed as he gazed out across the long ribbon of sand. "And I think that's her now" Yukinari says as he spots Nina in the distance playing volleyball with someone he was sure was Masashi. "Darn. Should have set the tent up closer to them. Oh well, walking doesn't hurt. Be sure to let Kirie know where I'm at" Yukinari says smiling at Koyomi warmly and walking away. Koyomi struggles to answer but ultimately fails.

"Wh-what was that just now?" she thinks to herself. She notices that she is short of breath and that her heart rate has been forced upward. "Maybe it's the heat. Actually, I'm sure it was the heat!.. I should definitely just get back to my book" she hastily concludes and closes the zipper entrance to the tent...

"Hello Miss Nina!" Yukinari greets approaching Nina and Masashi. He meets them both standing on opposite sides of the volleyball net. The net was situated in the middle of a rectangle marked on the sand by large orange strips nailed to the beach sand. This rectangle formed the court for the game.

"Hey Yukinari, what's up?" Masashi greets.

"Hello Yukinari dear!" Maharu brightly says refereeing the game between Nina and Masashi.

"It's about time you got here. We've been waiting for you for the better part of an hour" Nina, in athletic bikini, reprimanded holding the volleyball up in one hand.

"An hour!? Sorry about that Miss Nina, we had trouble getting here."

"Took you long enough Sasaki" a voice growled from behind Yukinari. It was unmistakably Seiichirou's voice and turning around, Yukinari confirmed this. "Hope you brought your fighting gear Sasaki because I certainly did" Seiichirou comments getting up from a cooler he was sitting on and he approaches with his head gear and gloves in his hands. "So where are we doing this Miss Nina?"

"Guess again" Nina answers serving the volleyball across the net.

"What?"

"Who said you were fighting Yukinari?" Nina asks keeping up with Masashi.

"What? What do you mean? What's the meaning of this!?" Seiichirou quickly demanded.

"You're not fighting, you're playing volleyball with Yukinari" Nina reveals holding back a chuckle.

"You have to be kidding me! I'm not playing volleyball! I've never even heard of it!"

"What's wrong Seiichirou? Can't you just relax and have a little fun?" Nina asked catching Masashi's return.

"No, you're wasting my time! I'm not playing, I'm going home!" Seiichirou declares walking away.

"You're time's wasted anyways" Nina remarks snidely.

"Don't worry Yukinari, my coward of a little brother is just scared you'll wipe the beach with him" Maharu says grinning at Nina. Maharu puts three fingers up and uses them in a count down she mouths. "3... 2... 1..."

"He wouldn't beat me!" Seiichirou bellows as he returns. "Not in a million years! I'll play the damn game and I'll win!" Seiichirou boasts and takes position next to Nina. "Alright Sasaki, take your place and let's do this!"

"Let's play Yukinari" Nina suggested. Yukinari felt mildly interested.

"Okay... Seems like fun" Yukinari says taking position on Masashi's side of the net. "Well, this is better than getting all bloody and sore" Yukinari told himself. Now he and Seiichirou faced each other on opposite sides of the volleyball net staring down and ready for the coming battle.

"Alright Miss Nina, serve the ball!" Seiichirou demands after a pause.

"Guess again" Nina says with a straight face though internally, she was laughing heartily. "Masashi, make way."

"Yes ma'am" Masashi answers and withdraws from the game.

"That's your side Seiichirou. You're partners with Yukinari."

"Bull" Seiichirou grumbles walking away again.

"It's only natural that a bitch be scared that a man like Yukinari will outscore him" Maharu mocks. An instant later, Seiichirou finds himself cursing under his breath as he partners up with Yukinari to take on Nina and Maharu, his older sister.

"This'll be fun! And I've got a great view!" Maharu comments scanning Yukinari's body. Yukinari can only laugh nervously at this.

"You boys know how to play volleyball don't you?" Nina asks.

"I've played it in school once before so I have some idea" Yukinari answers.

"I hope I never do" Seiichirou answers already resenting the sport.

Ignoring Seiichirou's answer, Nina continues. "Good, then we have something to work with" Nina said tossing the ball upward with her left and tapping it with her right. It floats in the air arching towards Yukinari who returns it with ease and it flies back hitting the sand on Nina's side of the court. "That's one point for you guys" Nina says retrieving the ball. "Good thing it didn't hit outside the court or it would have been our point. Did you get that Seiichirou?"

"What?"

"Did you get the idea of how to score in this game?"

"No!" Seiichirou retorted annoyed.

"Shut up! Yes you did!" Nina says serving the ball, this time the ball flying directly toward Seiichirou. Seiichirou, reacting without thinking, punches the ball directly at the net.

"How was that?" Seiichirou asked with an obvious sarcasm. "Did we win?"

"No! You just got us our first point. Good job Einstein" Maharu answered.

"See? You're learning! Whether you like it or not" Nina remarks, the smirk on her face making Seiichirou want to beat her at the strange Earthling game. "Now it's time to get serious though for your sake, we'll keep the rules simple. It's your serve boys."

Yukinari picks the ball up and serves it to the other side which Nina answers with a simple tap return. The ball arches predictably and Yukinari runs forward spiking the ball for another point. Both Nina and Maharu had made little effort to intercept.

"Well well Yukinari. You're getting into this!" Maharu compliments. "Good to see we have an opponent on the other side of the court who has scored some points rather than pout there like a stump."

"Keep talking" Seiichirou challenges.

"Guess this means it's our serve now." Maharu winds up and serves the ball which moves towards Seiichirou's position.

"It's yours Seiichirou" Yukinari calls out. Seiichirou only responds by glaring at the ball which seems to mock him as it hits the sand and scores Nina and Maharu another point.

"That's two for two. Looks like we're even but we'd be winning if it weren't for Yukinari. You can thank Yukinari for that Seiichirou" Nina jabs. Seiichirou, rather than take more abuse, approaches the ball.

"Alright... alright... I'll go along with your little game Miss Nina, big sister Maharu." Seiichirou lifts the volleyball up from the sand. "And I'm only doing it to beat you both at your own game. For some reason, I wanna see your faces when I annihilate you two!"

"You're too predictable Seiichirou" Nina thought to herself with a grin. "Sounds like a challenge. The question is can you back up those words?" Nina asked.

"Sasaki, stay out of my way" Seiichirou warns as he tosses the ball up and punches it over the net. Nina answers with a swift strike and Yukinari returns it. The ball is too slow for Maharu to allow it to pass and under her power, it jets to the border of the court in between both Yukinari and Seiichirou scoring her and Nina another point. "That was yours Sasaki!" Seiichirou disciplines angrily.

"Sorry Seiichirou, I thought you were getting it. I guess now would be a good time to start working as a team then?" Yukinari suggests.

"No need" Seiichirou responds picking up the volleyball and readying another serve. "I'll win this on my own." The game continues, the ball flying back and forth but anyone watching from outside would judge that Nina and Maharu would ultimately become the victors.

Meanwhile, making his grand entrance into the sands of the beach was Fukuyama wearing designer beach shorts and sunglasses. Alongside him was Lisa, she too wearing designer eyewear and bikini. Fukuyama, despite his perverted and depraved mannerisms, was a dedicated and thoughtful brother to Lisa and had brought her here to relax and comfort her as she coped with losing Yukinari to Kirie. Of course, this would not stop him from indulging in his own carnal pleasures. And as luck would have it, Koyomi and Ebi were on the very same beach somewhere oblivious to the blonde menace's presence.

Author's note: Finals are done! Yes! So I'm going to write up a new episode in the coming week and maybe another shortly thereafter. I have a whole week off since spring semester is over and I'm thinking of writing up some more lighter episodes where I just have some fun with the characters much like many of the old episodes did in the anime. I'm sorry for the delay everyone: life keeps me busy but thanks for reading! 


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Note: Holy smokes, that's a lot of words! Not much to say except sorry for the delay. Still, this update is like two in one if you go by word-count (almost 10,000)! Also, like I've mentioned, nothing too serious going down in this episode. Just having fun with the characters but I do have plans to make it more serious in later episodes. So please don't forget to comment and let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading and for your patience!

Season 3 Episode 48: He's Actually Bravo!

"It's yours Seiichirou! Get it and pass it to me!" Yukinari exclaims. Seiichirou draws back towards the right corner of their side of the sandy court.

"I got it!" Seiichirou answered. With a wide swing of his arm he returns a shot with a predictable arch. Maharu, not wasting any opportunities, moves forward up to the volleyball net and slaps the ball straight down to the sand scoring her and Nina another point. "Damn!" Seiichirou growls disappointed as Yukinari retrieves the ball from under the net.

"Seiichirou, you should have passed it my way so I could spike it down into their side!" Yukinari explained impatiently. "Don't you get it yet?"

"Shut it! I want to see what I can do on my own against these two!"

"But we won't win if we don't work as a team!" Yukinari declares preferring not to blame Seiichirou's unwillingness to cooperate.

"We'll win, don't you worry. And this is a good way to see who's better between you and I."

"Oh yeah, that..." Yukinari recalled somewhat exhausted. "I guess we're rivals now?" Yukinari wondered silently to himself.

"Well boys, score stands at 9 to 24" Maharu declares triumphantly. "Better shape up you two or you risk losing."

Yukinari tosses a look at Nina as if saying in disappointment "Miss Nina, this isn't working. We're not exactly becoming chums it seems."

"Teamwork breeds friendship Yukinari" Nina replies to Seiichirou's confusion. "...But I guess I sometimes miscalculate too" she continues wearing a look of disappointment similar to Yukinari's. "Let's just finish this game and then we'll take a break" Nina finishes.

"Alright, my serve" Yukinari said backing up and out of the court. He tosses the ball upward and with a swift swing the ball sails over the net threatening the inner rear border of Nina and Maharu's side of the court. Nina backs up and taps the ball upward and forward. The ball falls back down still on their side of the court and Maharu assumes control. She jumps meeting the ball just above the net, her arm behind her, ready and positioned to deliver a game-ending spike but Seiichirou, foreseeing this move, rushes forward ready to receive the spike.

"You're not trying this again!" he thought.

"Well, at least you're competent" Yukinari thought to himself. Maharu, with complete surprise in her eyes, finds her younger brother ready and waiting below her on the other side of the net ready to receive the spike.

"Surprise big sister!" he communicated through the sneaky grin in his face.

"Hmph! Nice try!" she returned with a grin of her own. With Seiichirou right up to the net, he had abandoned his original position, his corner of the court. Maharu's eyes shift towards that corner of the court, opposite Yukinari's side.

"Crap!" Yukinari exclaims in thought rushing towards the corner hoping to get there in time but it was a futile effort. With a smack the ball soars fast towards the exposed corner.

"Damn it!" Seiichirou exclaims jumping with both arms up above him almost reaching the ball. Losing his balance from his effort, he falls back onto the sand. Yukinari's dive too almost reaches the ball but instead, he falls onto the sand face down, the volleyball hitting the corner and earning the opposition their 25th point.

"Game, set, and match!" Nina declares. "25 to 9, didn't think you boys would get that many. I must say, it made it fun enough" she said as Masashi handed her several towels.

"I was mildly amused" Maharu teased, her hands confidently at her sides. "Novices are no real challenge."

"Damn" Seiichirou growled frowning at the sky. "I'll make you eat those words big sister."

"Of course you will" Maharu agreed falsely with a grin.

"It'll have to wait fool! We're taking a break!" Nina said handing a towel to Maharu. "Speaking of eating, Masashi, come!"

"Yes ma'am?" Masashi reports with a military salute.

"Here" she says happily. "Go get us some lunch: I'm in the mood for sushi. Cold sushi with soba and some sashimi as well. Get as much as you can actually!" she requested. "Go heavy on the variety!" she says wearing a charitable smile. She then asks "get enough for a party of 15 to 18" handing over a generous bundle of yen.

"That's a lot Miss Nina" Seiichirou comments taking the bundle of currency. "I will get it though" Masashi answers with confidence and departs the beach.

"Don't forget drinks!" Nina calls out.

"Well, I'll admit I had fun" Yukinari says lifting his face out of the sand shortly before getting up and patting the sand off of himself.

"You had fun huh?" Seiichirou chuckled annoyed. "Good for you Sasaki... I'm taking a break" he announces walking off the beach.

With Seiichirou out of sight, Yukinari restarts. "Well Miss Nina, what do you think?"

"You two got stomped badly" Nina said simply.

"That's not what I was referring to Miss Nina" Yukinari responds annoyed. "I mean I'm not sure it's working: I'm trying to be nice to the guy but he's so gung-ho about winning the game and all. I just want to be able to attend the UFC with peace of mind. Without him breathing down my neck about rematches and whatnot... You know Miss Nina, you could always ban him from the club!"

"But Seiichirou has not done anything bad enough to warrant a ban. He's free to challenge whomever he wishes" Nina said handing a towel over to Maharu.

"You're right" Yukinari concedes. "I guess if this doesn't work, I'll just have an honest man-to-man talk with the guy."

"Or you leave him up to me Yukinari" Maharu enters patting Yukinari's body with a towel. "I'll make him behave!"

"M-Maharu, I have a girlfriend! Please don't!" Yukinari interrupts as Maharu becomes too adventurous in drying him, her chest pressing up against his back.

"You're a man in a relationship again huh!? Sounds arousingly dangerous! Don't tempt me like that! Your budding facial hair and bare chest is enough of a turn-on you know" Maharu complimented draping the towel over Yukinari's head and rejoining Nina's side.

"Aiming low?" Nina mocked lightly.

"You only live once" Maharu defended. "Like your clock isn't ticking."

"Hey" Nina apprehended, "I got over that a long time ago!"

"Mm hmm" Maharu confirmed and both laughed heartily. Yukinari could only listen to this amused. To him, both looked too young to be speaking of such things.

-TRANSITION-

"Isn't this nice Lisa? The sand... the sea... the sun... The soft slender bodies of the beach-going beauties that frolick in the sand and splash each other in the ocean playfully, their soaked skin glistening in the sun, their breasts jiggling and just waiting for my hands to grope them lovingly!"

"To you it is... It's excruciatingly boring to me" Lisa says reading a book quietly to herself.

"Oh come on Lisa, your big brother just wants to cheer you up. After your terrible break up with Punynari!"

"I don't need you to cheer me up! I'm okay!" Lisa insisted.

"I-I'm just so glad!" Fukuyama bellowed letting out large, goofy sobs. "Your purity was spared and Punynari didn't violate you!" he cried hugging Lisa protectively.

"But I wanted him to violate me! I still do!" Lisa exclaimed with a scowl. "Get off!"

"Oh my dear little sister, please don't speak like that! Where did you learn to talk like that!?"

"You're one to criticize!"

"I can't stand it! Please promise me you will never give yourself to him!" Fukuyama begged not letting go.

"All of me belongs to him, every atom of my being! You just don't know the meaning of true love, love between soulmates: and no, what you do with your hussies isn't love. Now get off!" With a kick and a punch, Lisa's assistants force Fukuyama off of Lisa and he collapses face-first onto the sand. "Now beat it! I can't relax with you around! That is why you brought me here isn't it?"

"Hmph... Please do your highness" Fukuyama pouts and leaves her side.

"Hayate, Kosame, I need a spot on the beach" Lisa requests now with Fukuyama in the distance. "I need a spot not too far from the shore but it must be close enough to be pleasing to the senses and the soul. And I also need it to be far enough from civilization that I won't be disturbed by its hustle and bustle but close enough to remind me that humanity and I are one!"

Hayate and Kosame simply stare at the blonde witch, at each other, and then back at Lisa.

"That spot, occupied by those gentlemen" Lisa finished pointing at two beachgoers.

"Understood" both Hayate and Kosame confirmed. They approach the two gentlemen sitting on two beach chairs underneath a large umbrella.

"So I was all like 'yeah, whatever'-hey? You two need something?" one of the two guys ask Hayate and Kosame who had approached him and his friend suddenly.

"That spot. We need it" Kosame demands.

"Surrender it now" Hayate adds.

"The hell? Screw off!" the man objected angrily.

"Hand it over" Hayate and Kosame both said pulling out magnums pointed straight at the mens' faces, the triggers cocking menacingly. "Now!"

"Gahh! Wh-what the hell!? You two are c-crazy!" the man exclaimed staring at the gun barrels pointed at his face and his friend. "You can have it! The chair and everything!" the man quickly panicked falling out off his chair and scrambling away. His friend without a word joins him and both make themselves scarce never to be heard of again.

"Here you go Mistress Lisa" Hayate and Kosame said presenting the beach chair and umbrella to Lisa.

"Why thank you! This is perfect! It was awfully nice of them to donate this spot!" Lisa observed making herself comfortable on the chair.

"Yes, they were quite charitable" Kosame agrees.

"And willing to part with their belongings" Hayate added.

"We're at the beach, you two should enjoy yourselves" Lisa said positioning herself in a meditative posture: back straight, legs crossed and tucked underneath her, eyes closed, her breathing slow and easy.

"Are you meditating here of all places Mistress Lisa?" Hayate asked noting the noises of people splashing water, blazing barbecues, and people racing across the beach.

"They say that when you can meditate under conditions such as these, you are approaching Nirvana. Perfect harmony with Heaven and Earth. A balanced Yin and Yang. Have fun you two" Lisa calls out as Hayate and Kosame take a stroll through the beach.

"So Kosame, how are you coping?" Hayate asked after a long stroll through the beach.

After a long pause, her gaze absorbing the entirety of the ocean, Kosame finally answers. "I think I'll be fine. At the end of the day, it was for the best. In all honesty, it was ill-fated from the very beginning. Miss Kirie and I are... too different" Kosame finished as she and Hayate continued with their stroll. They pass by the volleyball court which was playing host to the game Nina was holding. "But I think I know how I'd like to spend my visit here on the beach" Kosame revealed as she watched Yukinari and the other volleyball players getting ready to start the next round.

"Alright, I think it'll take Masashi some time to get all the food here so let's build up an appetite with the next round" Nina says as Seiichirou re-enters his and Yukinari's half of the court. He shakes his legs and arms loosening his joints. "Are we ready to work as a team now?" Nina asked holding the volleyball up in her hand.

"I'm ready to win" Seiichirou answered flicking his wrists.

"Well, we'll see won't we?" Nina asked drawing back outside of the court. With the volleyball tossed in the air, she strikes the ball and it flies up and over the net aimed at Yukinari's corner.

"Get it!" Seiichirou commanded.

"Got it!" Yukinari answered and he counters Nina's serve with both hands clasped underneath him, the volleyball flying back just over the net. Maharu interrupts the ball with her right fist knocking it skyward and forward behind the net. Following Maharu's lead, Nina charges forward threatening a spike. Yukinari charges forward just the same ready to intercept, Nina's arm just about to spike the ball earthward but, to Yukinari's surprise, her movemenet was a feint. Maharu rushes to Nina's side and slaps the ball sideways, too quick for Yukinari to respond. The ball falls to the side, Seiichirou rushing to catch it but he fails and Maharu scores her side another point. With initially silent protest coming out of Seiichirou, the game continues on despite the fact that Nina and Maharu were favored in the long run regardless of whatever meager points Yukinari and Seiichirou were both managing to eke out. 1-0, 4-1, 7-3, 10-4, 17-7. The numbers were against Yukinari's side of the court and Seiichirou was not taking this well.

"Damn it! What's it gonna take!?" he exclaimed retrieving the volleyball after it had earned the other team their 19th point.

"Hey, no complaining! Where's your sportsmanship?" Nina asked.

"Sportsmanship? What the hell is that?" Seiichirou spat back.

"Relax Seiichirou, it's just a game" Yukinari reasoned. "So what if we lose? It's not like anything is on the line."

"So what if we lose!?" Seiichirou parroted offended. "What point is there to playing if you're not putting your all?"

"This is just a game and Miss Nina and Maharu are just loved ones. This is a friendly game so just have fun."

"I approach everything I do without holding back!" Seiichirou boasted proudly at which Nina and Maharu toss Yukinari exhausted looks. "That's my life's philosophy: strive to excel at everything you do. Those are the times when I feel alive!.. What's your excuse?"

Yukinari noted this was a rare moment: Seiichirou telling him something about himself. Maybe this would be a good chance to foster a friendship between the two. "My excuse? Well, to be honest, I'm not doing this to win. I'm doing this in hopes of maybe, well, becoming friends with you."

"...Huh?" Seiichirou grunted looking at Yukinari oddly.

"Don't flatter yourself" Yukinari quickly added. "I'm not doing this for your sake and I'm not doing this for my own... I'm doing this for Miharu's sake" Yukinari answered with a tone demanding more respect from Seiichirou. "When she returns, I don't want her to have to be split between her older brother and her friends." Seiichirou says nothing to this. "Despite whatever differences you may think we have, we do share one thing in common and that's the care and concern we have for Miharu." A further silence ensues as Yukinari's words resonate with Seiichirou.

"Shall we finish this game boys?" Nina asked after the durable quiet.

"Let's win this game Sasaki" Seiichirou muttered.

"Let's" Yukinari confirmed and Seiichirou readies the serve.

"Hold it!" a voice shouted from the side of the court. All four players turning their heads find, of all people, Kosame in a sports bikini with Hayate by her side, her hand raised gesturing them to halt the game. Hayate is simply standing beside her supportive of her decision.

-TRANSITION-

Fukuyama ran atop the sand as though he were a pervert in a beach filled with bikini-clad girls. Everywhere he looked he found to his delight voluptuous girls showing just enough skin to titillate any young male passing by. "The skin, the legs, the thighs!" Fukuyama drooled. "This is heaven!" Fukuyama sung to the sky. "Now all that remains is for me to work my lovely charms" he declared. Caressing his conceited face with his gloved hand, he runs his fingers through his hair slowly and with a flick of his chin, he whips his hair to the side and gives a handsome look of confidence that shines like a lighthouse in the pitch-black darkness of nights out at sea. Suddenly, six to seven women approach Fukuyama like moths to a flame, drawn in by the exuberance of his looks, his figure, the passion he emanated, all from a flick of his chin.

"Hey there handsome" one of the unidentified women began. "Looking to have some fun?"

"Why yes" Fukuyama answers with a confident inflection to his voice. "Are you ladies looking for the same thing?"

The girls let out a collective giggle and one bravely answers. "Yes, we are."

"Shall we stroll through the beach?" Fukuyama asked presenting both of his arms and the girls latch on like magnets to cold, shallow metal. As the girls continued giggling, Fukuyama thought arrogantly to himself "this is expectedly much too easy!" He walks and talks with them throughout the beach, discussing things most would find grating topics to discuss, the majority concerning how wonderful and good-looking Fukuyama thought he was, the rest how not great and not good-looking other men at the beach were. After a while however, Fukuyama became bored with how easy it all was. He needed a chase, a girl who would make him work before she'd give up her goodies. "I grow tired of this" he thought with a sigh as girls around him worshipped his long arms, his broad chest, ocean-blue eyes, his golden locks, his manicured toenails and gloved hands. But as he was suffering the excruciatingly painful boredom of being surrounded by his affectionate bounty, something caught his eye: an aura of innocence and vulnerability emanating from a large rectangular tent situated on the beach. "What is this essence!?" Fukuyama demanded pushing away the girls surrounding him causing them to collapse down onto the sand. "My manhood is tingling!.. It demands my attention to this tent" Fukuyama examined just outside of said tent.

Inside the very tent sat Koyomi completely consumed with her reading, oblivious to the horrible, perverse danger just outside the tent walls. "Look out!" Koyomi squeaked as she continued reading her novel, a drink atop the cooler next to her going on ignored. Just behind her, a horned and hairy humanoid figure with clawed, grubby paws and sharp, drooling fangs cast a large and growing shadow upon the tent. "Oh no! He's right behind you! Run!" Koyomi exclaimed in shock. "No!" she screamed. "He's going to get you! Please run!" she exclaimed, her eyes frantically scanning her book. "No!" Koyomi screamed covering her eyes and at that exact moment, the tent surrounding her exploded flying upward, a gust from the movement rushing around her blowing her hair wildly.

"Koyomi!" Fukuyama called out heroically, his arm up in the air after tearing the tent from its foundations. "My love! What is it that distresses you!?"

"NOoo!" Koyomi screamed louder panicking. Before she could react, Fukuyama's arms wrapped around Koyomi locking her in place. "It-It-It's the pervert!" she added loudly dropping her book and struggling to break out of Fukuyama's vile grip.

"Koyomi, how long has it been Koyomi since I've taken pleasure in your silky-smooth, supple skin?" he posed pursing his lips.

"NOoo!" Koyomi screamed again holding Fukuyama's face back with whatever strength she could muster from both her arms.

"Now Koyomi, there's no need to play hard to get!" Fukuyama reasons. "That'll only encourage me!" he adds sinisterly with a forked tongue! "Gyahahahahahaha!" Fukuyama laughed conceitedly. "Now, how about some privacy?" Fukuyama asks, his eyes arresting Koyomi's fearful gaze. As he finishes his sentence, the tent falls back down where it once stood imprisoning Koyomi in the tent helpless and alone against a lecherous predator. It was Fukuyama and Koyomi now, one-on-one, no one around who could hear her plight in the sea of sound that was the busy and crowding beach. "You see Koyomi? Perfect landing! Our destinies are intertwined! Hahahahahahaha! Hyaahahaha!" Fukuyama laughed.

"No! No! Nnnoooo!" Koyomi shouted further, unsure if anyone could hear her.

"MMmmuu" Fukuyama hummed threatening Koyomi with his puckered lips.

"S-someone, anyone" Koyomi pleaded in her mind, her arms weakening against Fukuyama's assault. "Please help!" she thought, her eyes welling up.

"Mmuu-glurgh!" Fukuyama's throat was quickly seized by, to both Koyomi's and his own pained surprise, two sharp fangs. "Wh-what the hell!?" Fukuyama wheezes out releasing Koyomi and grasping at his neck. His gloved hands grasp at a long and scaly snake that had bitten his neck and was now wrapping around him tightly.

"Wha!?" Koyomi gasped making sense of what had just saved her. The green snake that had bitten Fukuyama, she saw, had arisen out of the cooler that was sitting next to her the whole time. "It's, it's you!" Koyomi said as she realized that the snake that had saved her from Fukuyama's clutches she had gained as a pet at the Mahjong game months ago.

"Le-let go!" Fukuyama gasped out. The snake, its tongue flickering wraps around and squeezes Fukuyama, tighter and tighter turning him a blue color. He does so briefly until Fukuyama, trying to pull apart the heavy and powerful coils, begins to stumble before ultimately collapsing down onto the sand unconscious and motionless. The snake then releases its hold and wraps around Koyomi harmlessly, its scales feeling pleasantly cool against her warm skin, her skin warming the snake's cold blood.

"How did you get here? Did you hitch a ride in the cooler?" The snake only hissed in response. "Th-thank you so much! You saved me!" Koyomi thanked petting her snake which let out a long hiss as she and the snake watched Fukuyama unconscious on the sand. Koyomi, preferring not to stand near him quickly made her way out and headed toward where Kirie was watching over Tomoka and Ebi at the moister, darker sand near the water. "I've gotta tell Kirie about this!" Koyomi thought urgently to herself. Running across the hot sand to where Kirie was, she finds Kirie helping Tomoka and Ebi in building large and tall sand castle walls, at this point tall enough to provide Tomoka and Ebi shelter from the wind and the rays from the sun. The sand walls enclosed a very spacious area, enough room for Tomoka and Ebi to sprawl out on.

"Where do you want this sand?" Kirie asked holding two heavy bucketfuls of dark, moist sand.

"Right here" Tomoka answers pointing at the base of a thin section of one of the sand castle walls.

"Kirie, please help!" Koyomi began alarmed as she arrived at the sand castle.

"Koyomi? What's wrong?" Kirie asks before exclaiming in alarm "Aaahhh! A-a snake! Koyomi, look out!"

"Koyo, when did you bring your snake along?" Tomoka asked as she patted the sand in front of her into a wall with a plastic shovel. "It's okay Kirie, that's her pet snake. Tomo thought you left it at home?" Tomoka posed turning back to Koyomi.

"That's not important right now" Koyomi informs. "The crazy pervert! He's here!"

"What? Fukuyama?" Kirie demanded. "Where is he Koyomi?"

"In the tent!" Koyomi announced pointing the way.

"In the tent huh? Let me handle this Koyomi. Whatever the bastard's up to, I'll find out and put an end to it!" Kirie declares cracking her knuckles. "You stay here Koyomi and watch over Tomoka and Ebi" Kirie said before heading off to the tent.

"Yes, I will" Koyomi answers.

"Hey! Tomo can watch over herself!" Tomoka objected but was ignored. Arriving at the tent, Kirie yanks open the zippered door to the tent.

"Hey Fukuyama, you bastard!" Kirie shouts into what she finds to be an empty tent. "Huh?.. He's not here?" She walks in to make sure only to find an abandoned beach chair and a cooler with the lid off. "What the hell could the bastard be up to? Actually, isn't it obvious? Dirty lecher" Kirie thought to herself closing the cooler. Walking back out of the tent, she shrugs at Koyomi in the distance.

"He wasn't there?" Koyomi thought worriedly as she waved back at Kirie. "Then, where could he be?" Koyomi pondered fearfully looking around her only to find beachgoers going about their business, Tomoka and Ebi resuming work on their castle.

"Tomo thinks Koyo worries too much" Tomoka observes aloud still patting the castle into shape. "If the stupid pervert shows up, you can take shelter behind our castle walls." Koyomi could only look at the sandy castle walls and at both Tomoka and Ebi who were smaller than her. This only made her feel helpless.

"Ssss" Koyomi's snake let out, its tongue tasting the air. Koyomi pets her snake again which made her feel somewhat safe.

"You'll protect me, won't you?" Koyomi asks the snake but she, as expected, did not get any kind of answer aside from a tongue flicker. "Sigh..." Tomoka exhales hoping to relax. "...Tomoka, Ebi, I must say your sand castle is impressive!" Koyomi complimented wishing to cope with the anxiety she would always feel whenever Fukuyama was loose.

"Thanks a lot Koyo. We've only worked on it for half an hour or so. Tomo was the chief architect and engineer of course!" Tomoka said proudly. "And Ebi was Tomo's assistant" Tomoka reveals pulling Ebi to her side, a small plastic shovel in her hands. "Isn't that right Ebi?"

"Nya nya" Ebi answers, it being the only thing she was able to say.

"That's a yes" Tomoka confirms confidently. "Tomo can tell because Tomo has had to work with her and that meant learning her language! Really goes to show the level of expertise and professionalism we here at Tomoka Inc. are accustomed to employing."

"Right" Koyomi chuckles already acquainted with Tomoka's boastful nature. Suddenly, without warning, the snake wrapped around her is pulled off of her. Turning around in alarm, she watches as her snake whips down into the sand tail-first and disappears. "Aaaah!" Koyomi screamed fearfully.

"What's wrong Koyo!?" Tomoka asked surprised.

"My snake! He's gone!" Koyomi exclaimed and started digging bare-handed into the spot where the snake had disappeared.

"Really? Hold on, Tomo will help you!" Tomoka says exiting the castle and lending her shovel to Koyomi's effort. "You too Ebi!" Tomoka commands and Ebi joins them both. As they shoveled sand out, the hole began to widen until, unexpectedly, a gloved hand burst out from the sandy ground causing all three to leap back in shock.

"What the heck is that!?" Tomoka exclaimed. Koyomi simply stepped back slowly, her eyes tearing up as she readied herself for another chase. "Koyo, it's a dead body! We found a dead body!" Tomoka said as the hand began waving. "Hello" she saluted waving back. "...Wait a minute, it's a zombie! Koyo, we've found a zombie!" Tomoka gasped. With a sudden, violent outward explosion of sand where the hand was poking out arose a blonde man covered from head to toe in moist sand.

"Really Koyomi, our love is one no reptilian can ever stop. You and I share a destiny" the man said shaking off the sand coating his body.

"Oh, it's just the stupid pervert" Tomoka learns disappointed.

"Noo!" Koyomi screamed in panic and started to run, where to she did not care as long as it was away from Fukuyama.

"Now Koyomi, running only encourages me!" Fukuyama says about to give chase only to be stopped dead in his tracks. His body frozen, he stands still just outside the castle walls. With the precision of a machine, his head snaps mechanically to the side toward the castle and hones his beady, lecherous eyes at the little girl with green hair.

"That green hair and large, vulnerable eyes! A cute, little, one-piece bikini! Equipped with a skirt no less! EBI!" Fukuyama shouted with glee, his mind abandoning his pursuit of Koyomi completely. He moves so fast that had his arms moved any faster they would have flown off of their shoulders. Before Ebi could even blink, she was secured into Fukuyama's vile clutches. "Ebi, how long have we been apart? How I've missed your pretty little face and frail, tender innocence!"

"Nyanyanya!" Ebi shouted struggling to break his hold, kicking and punching. "Nyanyanya!"

"Now now Ebi, I'm not going to hurt you!" Fukuyama countered as his face was fruitlessly kicked and punched. "Look! I have candy!" he said presenting candy in his hand but this went ignored by Ebi whose resistance didn't wane. "Just come with me" Fukuyama started devilishly, "and I'll give you much more candy!" Fukuyama finished, the horns on his head almost visible.

"That is so wrong" Tomoka said before taking her plastic shovel and stomping it down onto Fukuyama's foot.

"Yaaargh!" Fukuyama shouted in pain hopping on one foot.

"Let her go you stupid pervert!" Tomoka demanded. "She's Tomo's employee!"

"Tomoka, knock it off! Go play with your sand. Big brother Kazuharu is busy" Fukuyama dismissed having recovered from her attack. "Now Ebi. Give me a little kiss" Fukuyama whispered, his eyes closed and lips puckering up as he held empty air up to his face ready to meet some part of Ebi's face. Instead, sharp knuckles drive forward against his face crushing his nose and almost collapsing his face. Fukuyama falls back onto his back, a knuckle-shaped bruise on his face sporting a bleeding nose. "What a kisser!" he thought light-headedly. "Ebi, I never thought-" Fukuyama stops himself as he looks up to find Kirie, her face twisted in a fatal rage. In her arms rested Ebi safe and sound.

"You liked that kiss huh!?" Kirie snarled slowly approaching Fukuyama menacingly. "Well then, you'll love a second one!" Kirie shouted approaching quicker and readying to pound Fukuyama deep into the sand. "I'm sending your ass to hell!"

"Wait wait wait!" Fukuyama protested holding his hand up. "Let me just-" Fukuyama began removing one of his gloves.

"Huh?" Kirie asked aloud as Fukuyama probed the inside of his glove. "What the hell are you-AAaaaahhhh!" Kirie shouted as three navis flew out of his glove much too close to Kirie's comfort zone. "Get them away from me!" Kirie shouted running off, Ebi still secure in her arms. Ebi, watching over Kirie's shoulder, watched the navis turning yellow and give chase.

"Nya nya!" Ebi called out fascinated by the floating flames which were now shifting back and forth between yellow and white, responding to both Kirie's fear and Ebi's excitement.

"NNnooooo!"

"Humph! Too easy!" Fukuyama remarked smugly as Kirie ran off. "Well, if I can't have Ebi" Fukuyama said getting up and fitting his glove back on. "I'll settle for Koyomi!" Fukuyama says perversely, tending to his injured face and restarting his original pursuit. "Oh Koyomi!" he sung as he skipped joyously across the sand.

"Honestly, the stupid pervert is never going to learn... Huh?" Tomoka voiced noticing near her the head of a snake popping up and out of the sand. "Oh, hello Koyo's snake" Tomoka greeted, the snake turning its head in the direction Fukuyama had run off to and flickering its tongue.

-TRANSITION-

"It's very nice of you to join us Kosame" Nina told Kosame who had joined her team taking Maharu's place after Maharu had agreed.

"Thank you very much for this opportunity" Kosame returns gratefully. "I look forward to this game" Kosame says, her eyes locking coldly with Yukinari's. "Shall we begin?"

"Of course" Nina agrees. "It's their serve however."

"That's fine" Kosame returns and Seiichirou readies. Granting the ball in his hand some height, Seiichirou leaps and pounds the ball over the net heading straight for Kosame. Kosame, her eyes homing in on the serve leaps up and with an incredible ferocity, pounds the ball back and with an incredible speed it jets straight for Yukinari who, taken by complete surprise, dodges the ball rather than attempt to retaliate a ball he was not ready for.

"What was that!?" Yukinari gasped mentally. "Such intensity!"

"Get your head in the game Sasaki!" Seiichirou reprimands retrieving the ball and serving it again only to have the ball intercepted by Kosame.

"Haaa!" she shouted blasting the ball again aiming for Yukinari who this time blocks the ball with his palms only to have a stabbing pain jolting throughout his arms.

"Gah!" Yukinari expels in pain. "What was that!? Damn that hurt!" he kept to himself trying to conceal his discomfort. For some reason, he felt a hate emanating from Kosame's attacks. Yukinari wasn't sure what it was but there seemed to be something driving Kosame to play a game against him in particular so aggressively.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Seiichirou wonders aloud.

"N-nothing! Just a cramp" Yukinari excuses. "Sorry."

"Haaa!" Kosame shouted every time she launched a fast volleyball Yukinari's way. Yukinari dodges the attack that would otherwise have hit him in the face. "Haaa!" she shouts again spiking a ball that collides with Yukinari's stomach. Every time the opportunity presented itself to Kosame, she would impact the ball forcefully toward Yukinari's direction, at times hitting him painfully. Returning her moves were only proving painful to his wrists, palms, and any other body parts they collided with. Even Seiichirou winced when he managed to intercept one of Kosame's passes.

"Gah!" Yukinari exclaimed finding another one of Kosame's rebuttals speeding toward him, almost as if taking aim at him directly. At the last instant, he jerks his head out of the way giving up another point for the recently-formed Nina-Kosame team, Maharu assuming the role of referee.

"Hey, you're pretty good at this Kosame" Nina compliments having gotten acquainted with Kosame at the club some time during Yukinari's training. "You've got a dangerous arm!"

"No kidding" Yukinari thought massaging his limbs.

"Thanks" Kosame responds but maintaining a poisonous glare directed at Yukinari who had returned from retrieving the ball. "My training taught me how to make a weapon out of almost anything. I could kill a grown man with a spoon if I wanted to" she said focusing the gaze she had on Yukinari as she finished the last sentence.

"Why is she looking at me like that?" Yukinari wondered urgently. "She's been taking shots at me this whole time. Did I do something?"

"You should have gotten that Sasaki. Don't let it happen again. Serve the ball" Seiichirou asked his teammate.

"Oh, sorry" Yukinari answers holding the ball in his hands. He tosses it up and hits it toward Nina who answers effectively, the ball heading for Seiichirou who mimicks her response, this time aimed at Kosame. Kosame wastes no time, no effort, to grant the volleyball an explosive power heading straight for Yukinari. Yukinari, not wanting to let the other team score again braces for impact. "This is gonna hurt" he thinks quickly with hands grasped. He halts the ball with his forearms and bumps it upward just behind the net on his side of the court, Seiichirou charging forward for a spiked score.

"Yeah! That's what's up!" Seiichirou celebrated loudly. "Another one for us! Good bump Sasaki!" Yukinari could only nod as he tried to shake off the pain pulsating on his forearms. He shakes the pain off somewhat and started noticing some bruising on parts of his arms.

"So now the score is 12 to 4. Good for you Seiichirou" Nina teased.

"You enjoy annoying me don't you?" Seiichirou asks pessimistically.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Nina answers smiling.

"It's all over your face!" Seiichirou countered.

"Or maybe you're too easily annoyed?" Nina suggests. "Did you ever think of that?"

"Kosame, are you mad at me?" Yukinari posed still coping with some of the pain in his arms.

"It's all in your head" Kosame answered firmly readying her serve. "Just consider yourself lucky I'm your opponent and not your teammate." Her serve flies flying fast just above Yukinari's head who ducks. That's when it hit him.

"Research is our specialty" Yukinari recalled these words. They were Hayate's words and he had used them when Yukinari went to see Lisa in hopes of mending Lisa's hurt feelings. This was when Yukinari was at the foot of Lisa's room after Lisa had found out about Yukinari and Kirie. "Our?.. He was referring to himself and Kosame! Oh crap, Kosame knows!"

"Haaaaa!" Kosame howled serving the ball with an explosive strength, again heading straight for Yukinari.

"Yukinarii!" Koyomi suddenly called out taking a Yukinari drifting in thought completely by surprise.

"What-" Ssmaackk!

"Got him" Kosame thought vindictively to herself. "Revenge!"

From Koyomi's perspective, it happened almost in slow-motion. The volleyball bolted toward Yukinari and hit the side of his face contorting it painfully. For Yukinari, one instant he caught sight of Koyomi's distressed face and the next, he was still looking at her distressed face but he found himself lying on the sandy ground facing skyward.

"Yukinari, are you okay!?" Koyomi asks in concern kneeling beside him.

"He's fine, don't worry about it. He's a lot tougher than he looks" Maharu said standing over him.

"Yeah... I... I'm fine..." Yukinari assured sitting up.

"You took a pretty hard serve, to the face no-less" Nina recalled. "You were out for a minute. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine" Yukinari repeated and dismissed the pain preferring to address Koyomi's concerns. "What's wrong Koyomi?"

"It's Fukuyama! He's here!" Koyomi reveals fearfully. "Please help me! He's coming for me!" Koyomi begged near tears.

"Relax Koyomi, I'll get him to leave you alone, I assure you." With these words, a great worry visibly lifted off of Koyomi's shoulders displaying a confidence Koyomi had in Yukinari's words. This reliance Koyomi seemed to have on Yukinari impressed Seiichirou and started to wear on Kosame who was starting to feel guilty. "Where is he?"

"I don't know" Koyomi said seeking shelter behind Yukinari, her eyes scanning the beach.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmm" a conceited chuckle was emitted from behind Koyomi and just as quickly, fingers groped Koyomi's swimsuit. "Honestly Koyomi, you have such terrible taste in swimwear. Just come over to my place and I'll fit you with a perfect barely-legal string bikini! You'll turn heads wherever you go!" Fukuyama offers drooling.

"AAaaaahhhh!" Koyomi screamed getting away from Fukuyama's touch. "Get away!"

"Knock it off Fukuyama!" Yukinari commands shielding Koyomi.

"And what are you going to do about it Punynari?" Fukuyama challenged, his height still greater than Yukinari's.

"Are you seriously asking that?" Yukinari retorts.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Nina said posing a question of her own.

"Who am I?" Fukuyama asks almost offended. "The name's Fukuyama. Playboy billionaire, handsomest man on the beach, handsomest man at school. Dare I say handsomest in this entire prefecture? And what of you madam?" Fukuyama asks daring to scan Nina's athletic yet still feminine body. "What's your story?"

"You know, I usually expect a man to buy me dinner before I let him look at me like that" Nina reacts calmly. "Listen, we're in the middle of a game so if you would please go about your day with your billions then we shouldn't have any trouble."

"Not without my woman!" Fukuyama demands locking his gaze with Koyomi's fearful eyes. Koyomi retreats back behind Yukinari.

"No! I'm not his woman!" Koyomi cried.

"You heard her Mister Playboy. She's not available so, kind sir, I bid you adieu" Nina bids waving at Fukuyama.

"This is an outrage! Is a man not entitled to his woman!? I demand to see her! To hold her! To touch her and consume her! To coat her in whip cream and top her off with several fruits and nuts and dine on her succulent flesh as I please! Hihihihihihihi!" Fukuyama cackled lecherously. "I demand it now!"

"Well" Nina resumes ignoring Fukuyama's exaggerated mannerisms, "if you wish to take that tone young man, I'm afraid you'll have to get through me" Nina offers standing her ground folding her arms.

"And you'll have to get through me too" Seiichirou contributes placing his hand firmly on Fukuyama's shoulder making Fukuyama shudder.

"You can count me in" Maharu contributes having encountered the pervert a long time ago.

"For my woman..." Fukuyama starts eyeing Yukinari who's also standing his ground thus adding up to a total of four people Fukuyama has to get through. "...challenge accepted!"

-TRANSITION-

Lisa, finishing her meditation and thus feeling completely relaxed and refreshed, leaves the cool shade under someone else's umbrella and sets about finding her assistants. "Where have they gone off to? It's time to go home" Lisa declares noting the yellow-orange sky. She walks for a few moments before spotting the volleyball match from afar.

"So why didn't you finish the game?" Hayate asked Kosame who had withdrawn from the game, Nina and Maharu reassembling their team.

"I just couldn't... Yukinari's a good person. I was wrong to spite him. Anyways, I've had my fill" Kosame finishes grabbing a towel from the vertical towel rack next to the volleyball court.

"Game set and match. 25 to 15. The game goes to us!" Maharu declares approaching Yukinari and Seiichirou. "Good game wasn't it fellas?" she says extending a hand.

"For you it was" Yukinari says admiringly. He shakes Maharu's hand and she immediately gives him a dangerously seductive look.

"So cute" Maharu compliments and Yukinari just as quickly withdraws his hand.

"Th-thanks..." Yukinari answers nervously. Seiichirou simply collapses down onto the sand.

"We suck" was all he could say of what had happened.

"Here you go try-hard" Maharu says lifting towels off of the towel rack and laying one over Seiichirou and another over Yukinari, both of which proceed to dry themselves.

"There you two are!" Lisa announces as she arrives at the volleyball court. "What have you been up to?"

"Mistress Lisa" Lisa's two bodyguards reply.

"Our apologies Mistress Lisa. We've indulged too much already" Hayate regretted bowing respectfully, Kosame following suit.

"It's okay, that's sort of what the beach is for" Lisa said forgivingly. "Yukinari!?"

"Hello Lisa" Yukinari said removing his sweat with the towel Maharu had given him. Even then seeing her now only filled him with a guilt. "It must hurt her seeing me" he thought but not for long, Lisa pouncing on him, her arms wrapping around him tightly.

"Oh Yukinari! I've missed you so much!" Lisa sung squeezing tightly. Yukinari looked at Lisa's assistants who simply looked back at him blankly. "Having fun playing volleyball?"

"Yeah" Yukinari replies feeling relieved. Lisa seemed cheery and, as Yukinari thought, she was much stronger than she let on. "And what have you been up to Lisa?"

"Just some relaxation. That's what my big brother brought me here for. Speaking of which, where is that lecher?" Lisa asked looking around. "Have you seen him? He's probably running around after girls."

"As a matter of fact, he was chasing Koyomi moments ago."

"Of course. I'm very sorry Koyomi for whatever trouble my brother has caused you" Lisa apologized turning to Koyomi.

"It's okay. He's been taken care of" Koyomi returned politely.

"So where is he now?" Yukinari points towards the towel rack beside the court. "The towel rack?" Approaching the towel rack, Lisa comes to the shocking realization that hidden behind it was Fukuyama buried into the sand waist-high wringing sweaty towels dry without his gloves on. "Big brother! What's going on here!?"

"Welcome to my torment my dear little sister" Fukuyama greeted wringing a sweaty towel and wrinkling his face in disgust.

"How did you get like this? What did you do now?" Lisa asks suspicious.

"He got confrontational with us" Nina explains watching Fukuyama with a scrutinizing eye. "...And then he just passed out..."

"It's especially warm today!" Fukuyama excused.

"So then we decided to cut the playboy down to size by burying him!"

"A, ha, ha, ha, ha" Fukuyama mocked with a fake laugh.

"When he came to, we had a pile of sweaty sticky towels that needed wringing."

"This is what you get for chasing Koyomi again. I guess you'll never learn" Lisa said pessimistically.

"Why can't you side with me for once!?" Fukuyama asked offended. "At least a little sympathy! I need my gloves!"

"Here's my towel Fukuyama" Yukinari says dropping a moist towel on Fukuyama. "Be careful, I worked up a sweat!" Yukinari warns and walks off to rejoin the others.

"You see!? I'm drying Punynari's towel!" Fukuyama exclaims in anguish. "And just my luck, Koyomi didn't sweat today! Even though she teasingly played hard to get!"

"Shut up already!" Lisa demands snatching the towel from Fukuyama's hand. "Hayate, Kosame, pull him out!" Immediately, Lisa's attendants stand at attention, grab Fukuyama by his arms and pull freeing him from his sandy prison.

"Humph. I guess only us Fukuyamas can look out for each other huh?" Fukuyama comments patting the sand off of his legs. "I need to wash my hands."

"We're heading home big brother. It's getting late" Lisa notifies.

"No, you go home. Big brother Kazuharu is going to stick around for a little while longer" he says eyeing Maharu, Nina, and Koyomi over the towel rack while paying absolutely no mind to Seiichirou and Yukinari.

"You just don't learn!" Lisa reprimands snapping her fingers. FWwwwiiipp! A dart hits Fukuyama's leg and he topples over.

"Gaaah! Not this again! Why little sister?.. Why?" Fukuyama grunts before losing consciousness.

"Just saving the Fukuyama name. Or what's left of it after what you've done to it. Hayate, Kosame, we're heading home." Lisa approaches the others who are busily conversing. "I'll be taking my brother off of your hands now. I just wish to extend my deepest apologies for his behavior."

"He didn't cause too much trouble. I mean Koyomi is safe and sound after all. That's a billion-dollar playboy towel wringer you've got there by the way. Put it to good use!" Nina said chuckling.

"And Yukinari" Lisa begins approaching Yukinari. "It's really good to see you again!" she says hugging him fiercely.

"It's good to see you too Lisa" Yukinari returns hugging her back. As he hugged Lisa, Kosame directed a handshake at him.

"It was nice playing you" Kosame said sincerely. "And I'm sorry about the hit to the face."

"It's okay Kosame. I'll be fine" Yukinari agrees answering the handshake offered.

"I'll see you again Yukinari" Lisa assured as she blew a kiss Yukinari's way.

"Yeah, see ya" Yukinari said glad that Lisa seemed to have cheered up. He cared deeply for Lisa but he was in a relationship with Kirie and it would only be awkward to have her around... Now with Lisa gone, Maharu got down to business.

"Yukinari, I have something to tell you" Maharu says beckoning Yukinari closer.

"Yeah?" Yukinari answers walking up to Maharu.

"It's about Miharu. She's told me recently that she's ready to come back to Earth."

"Really!?" Yukinari and Seiichirou gasp.

"That's right Yukinari. And Seiichirou, I don't want you interfering with this you hear me!?" Maharu warns wagging a finger at Seiichirou.

"I won't... I'll honor my word!" Seiichirou confirms reluctantly. "But Earth is a dangerous place for Seiren girls..." he muttered.

"Fukuyama and I are both from Earth but rest assured, I'm not like him" Yukinari declares loudly. "She's coming to Earth if she wants to!"

"Relax Sasaki" Seiichirou says annoyed and turning away. "I've already agreed to that... Anyways, let's eat. I'm starving" Seiichirou mumbles shoving the issue into the back of his mind.

"Speaking of which, where the heck is that Masashi?" Nina says loudly. "Speak of the devil!" In the distance, Masashi comes running fast towards their location, massive insulated boxes wrapped in white sheets slung over his shoulder. "About time you got here" Nina directs at his arrival.

"Do you realize how far I had to go Miss Nina? Carrying this all the way here was not easy at all... I'm sweating buckets here!" Masashi claims breathing heavily. A mere moments later, with a long portable picnic table set up near the volleyball court, lunch was arranged. Before starting on the feast Nina had provided, Yukinari goes out to get Kirie, Ebi, and a Tomoka who had what looked like sunburn on exposed parts of her skin. Further behind them was a snake following along going unnoticed.

"I'll be back everyone. Don't start without me though!" Yukinari had said departing their company.

"Don't take too long" Nina says organizing the boxes Masashi had brought.

Yukinari finds Kirie heading his way with Ebi in her arms, Tomoka following along. "Hey Kirie! Tomoka! Ebi!" Yukinari calls out to her heading their way.

"Yukinari!" Kirie calls back relieved to see him and quick to close the distance between them. "Oh Yukinari, it was awful! That bastard Fukuyama pulled out these creepy fireball things! They chased me around the whole beach! It was terrible!" she wailed, Yukinari wrapping his arms around her.

"You mean navis don't you?" Yukinari recalls. "Kirie, they're harmless!"

"Whatever! I don't care! They're creepy!" Kirie says burying her face into Yukinari's chest. "Anyways, they're gone now... I put them out with sea water!.. Is Koyomi okay?" Kirie asks withdrawing her face out of Yukinari's chest. "Fukuyama chased after her, the bastard!"

"Yeah, she's fine. And we took care of Fukuyama too so relax Kirie. We're at the beach" Yukinari reminds rubbing Kirie's arm to comfort her knowing how terrified she would get when it came to the supernatural. "Tomoka, is, is that a snake around you?" Yukinari asked not sure whether to believe what he was seeing.

"Yep!" Tomoka confirms worry-free, the snake wrapping its coils around her. "It's Koyo's!"

"Is it now?" Yukinari asked uneasily watching Tomoka's legs sticking out from under a bundle of scaly coils.

"Koyo!" Tomoka calls out.

"There you are!" Koyomi calls back, the snake popping its head out of the coils at the sound of Koyomi's voice. Uncoiling excitedly leaving behind a dizzy Tomoka, the snake leaps at Koyomi and wraps around her. "I was wondering when you'd get out from the ground!" The snake simply flickered its tongue and Koyomi scratched the back of its head affectionately. As Koyomi had learned early on as a snake owner, it was normal for her snake to be underground. However with Fukuyama on the loose and her snake having disappeared underground, she had panicked earlier that day. Now reunited, she relaxed. "Thank you so much Tomoka."

"No problem Koyo! Anyways, I'm starving!" Tomoka announces. With that, Yukinari and Kirie, his arm wrapped around Kirie's waist, joins Tomoka and Koyomi in reuniting with Nina, Maharu, and Masashi at the table to enjoy a tableful of expensive cold sushi, appropriate after a hot beach day.

"And who is this adorable little thing!?" Nina sings catching sight of Ebi in Kirie's arms. "She's absolutely adorable!" Nina says dashing for Ebi and taking her from Kirie's hold. "What is your name you cute little thing!?" Nina asks holding Ebi in her arms. Ebi simply stares curiously back at the woman with dark green and sharp violet eyes.

"Nya nya" Ebi emits softly.

"Awwww!" Nina melts at the sounds Ebi had just made and squeezes Ebi in a powerful hug. "Kirie, who is this? You must let her eat with me!" she requests excitedly showing a maternal side that Yukinari did not recall ever seeing before.

"Sure..." Kirie agrees feeling famished. Yukinari takes a seat and guides Kirie to sit next to him on his right. Koyomi takes a seat to Yukinari's left with her snake wrapped around her and Tomoka to Kirie's right. Nina seats herself opposite Yukinari, Ebi taking a seat on her lap, Maharu and Masashi sitting on either of Nina's sides. Seiichirou, preferring to eat standing, held a plate with one hand and ate with the other.

"So whose is she? She didn't just puff into existence by magic did she?" Nina asks pinching Ebi's cheek.

"Actually, in a way she did" Kirie answers to Nina's surprise. "It's a bit of a long story..."

-TRANSITION-

Fukuyama, in the backseat of a long luxurious limo driving him home, begins to regain consciousness. "Uhnn... Urghh..." he moaned groggily.

"You're developing an immunity to the tranquilizer it seems" Lisa comments sitting next to Fukuyama, a towel in her hands. Fukuyama, his sight becoming clearer as he wakes, watches as Lisa exhales out of her mouth lengthily and then, to Fukuyama's alarm, smothers herself with the towel breathing in the towel's scent fiercely and aggressively. "Mmmm, Yuukiinariii's sweeaaat!" she exhales pulling the towel away with a look of utter bliss on her face, red dots on her cheeks. "They say men's sweat contains a pheromone! I must harness Yukinari's sweat!" Lisa told herself considering crafting a perfume out of her soulmate's sweat.

"No" Fukuyama exclaimed weakly lunging for the towel only to fall down onto the limo's floor still feeling numb from the drug. "Lisa, don't."

"Just go to sleep again" Lisa commands readying another inhalation.

"Shall we?" Kosame and Hayate ask sitting opposite Lisa, dart blowers at the ready.

"Only if he insists on interrupting my fun" Lisa instructs before taking another long inhalation.

"You do realize Punynari and Kirie are a couple don't you?" Fukuyama reminds Lisa.

"I'm well aware of that!" Lisa snapped back. "But that's not going to stop me! Yukinari will one day realize his mistake the way he did with Miharu and when that happens, I'll pounce! Then he'll take my purity from me as he ravages every nanometer of my body!" Lisa exclaimed gleefully.

"Lisa, don't speak like that! You're underage!" Fukuyama pleaded.

"Ha! Who are you to criticize!?" Lisa demands with a huff. "Age hasn't ever stopped you before!" she counters glaring from behind the towel. "Now I've had enough of your whining. Continue as such and I'll have you tranquilized again" Lisa threatened, her assistants seated nearby lending her words their weight. Fukuyama groans resentfully but finally quiets down preferring to remain conscious for the rest of the ride back home.

"These kids have too much damn time" the man in the driver's seat of the limo grumbled.

-TRANSITION-

The feast that Nina had supplied for everyone else was an extravagant and delectable one. With dishes worthy of a position on a five-star restaurant's menu, the party of nine had dined and drank themselves full. In that time, Tomoka had boastfully explained Ebi's origins: how with her magic, she had transformed the yellow cat-seal into the little girl with green hair that now sat on Nina's lap. "Well isn't that something? You're magic Ebi!" Nina informs Ebi who was moments ago busily nibbling on a small rice ball. "So Seiichirou" Nina directs towards Seiichirou as she maneuvered a sushi roll into Ebi's hands. "How well do you think you did against Maharu and I during our game?"

"He's terrible" Seiichirou answers turning away.

"I don't disagree" Yukinari agrees which prompts a number of laughs around the table. "It's not like you were great yourself" Yukinari returns but Seiichirou ignores it and simply continues eating.

"By the way Koyomi, that snake" Masashi begun to ask. "Where'd you get it? It looks intimidating!"

"I, I won him at a mahjong game!" Koyomi explains nervous from being spoken to by a man.

"And what does he eat? Can he eat sashimi?" Masashi continues hoping to watch the snake eat.

"A-actually, snakes don't eat often. I feed him at least once a week, at most twice a week" Koyomi explains still not too comfortable.

"Ow! Watch it Kirie!" Tomoka complains. "Don't touch me!"

"I just want you to learn from this. I told you to apply sunblock but did you listen?" Kirie challenges as she pokes a red spot on Tomoka's skin.

"Tomo gets it! Tomo gets it!" Tomoka shrieks getting up and away from the table.

"So if we come back to the beach, what will you do differently?" Kirie asks hoping to drill the lesson in.

"Sunblock! Tomo gets it already!" Tomoka shouts back.

"Remember it Tomoka! It's for your own good!"

"Oh! That reminds me!" Maharu recalls. "Good news girls! Miharu has told me she wants to come back!"

"Really!?" Tomoka voices excitedly. "That's great! Tomo can't wait to see her again!"

"That's wonderful news!" Koyomi agrees. "It'll be just like the good old days! Won't it Yukinari? Kirie?"

"Absolutely. Maharu has already told me earlier."

"Yes" Kirie agrees. Quickly, she feels Yukinari draw her in closer to himself, his arm around her waist. She leans against him, her head resting against his. Without words, Yukinari reassured Kirie that he and Miharu were now just good friends. It was Kirie who was his significant other now...

As delicious and enjoyable as the get-together had been, the day was not endless and with the beach darkening and emptying of people, Nina stood up and stretched. "Well, I think I've had my fill. What about everyone else?"

"I've had plenty" Maharu answers.

"That was very good Miss Nina. Thank you very much!" Masashi responds.

"That was very lovely! Thank you so very much!" Koyomi thanked gratefully and dabbed at her lips with a napkin.

"Tomo thought it was good!"

"Thanks teach" Seiichirou said simply after setting his plate down on the table.

"Thanks for everything Miss Nina" Kirie says elbowing Yukinari who's busily finishing the rest of what was on his plate.

"Oh! Yes, of course! Thank you so very much Miss Nina! It was absolutely delicious!" Yukinari agreed and he got up along with everyone else.

"Okay, everyone help clean up and gather our things and after that, I'll give you all a ride home since it's getting late" Nina offers noting the darkening sky. With that, everyone sets out to gather their things for the trip home. Yukinari heads off with Kirie to retrieve the tent and some of the things in and near it and Masashi and Maharu go off to gather the volleyball gear and towels. Nina heads off to call up some cabs to ready for the trip home, an Ebi nodding off in her arms and thus leaving Koyomi and Tomoka to clear the table. Seiichirou however stood nearby staring out to the ocean quietly.

"Mister Seiichirou, if you're worried about Miharu coming to Earth" Koyomi starts, "you shouldn't worry too much... Yukinari is a very sweet person and he's defended me against the pervert several times. He's brave and strong... And Miharu is in good hands here on Earth... Even with my own phobia, Yukinari is one of the few men who I'm comfortable being around with."

"I hear you Koyomi, rest assured I understand. Tell me, was Miharu happy when she lived here?"

"She was very happy" Koyomi answers confidently though she found it best not to bring up the break up that had occurred between Yukinari and Miharu. "And if the pervert would show up, he'd be there to defend her."

"Do you like it here on Earth?"

"Yes, absolutely" Koyomi answers without hesitation. "There are people here who are important to me. There are many interesting things here on Earth and it was on Earth where I met Miharu."

"And it's on this planet where they produce 'Poyon'. That's very important!" Tomoka declares confidently.

"...I see" Seiichirou responds chuckling at Tomoka's comment.

"Hey! Do your part slacker!" Maharu shouts at her younger brother holding the volleyball in one hand and the net in another.

"Alright alright! Don't shout at me!" Seiichirou retaliates as he approaches the portable picnic table and begins to disassemble it.

"I'll shout at you all I want" Maharu disciplines moments later as the two siblings walked towards the cabs that had just arrived. Koyomi and Tomoka followed behind with dishes in their hands ready to get home and call it a day much like everyone else leaving the beach. 


	25. Chapter 25

Season 3 Episode 49: Bravo Returns!

"Oh big sister! I can't decide on what to get Yukinari!" Miharu remarks as she rigorously scans the shelves of a gift shop within a large mall in Seiren.

"You shouldn't worry so much Miharu" Maharu answers. "He'll like it no matter what you get him."

"In that case" Miharu responds lifting up a large, wrapped basket filled with Seiren treats consisting of gummies, chocolate-covered nuts, and fruit-filled gelatins, "I think I'll get this for him!"

"If you're getting him that, it would be best that you get two" Maharu was quick to suggest noting Miharu admiring the large basket hungrily.

"You're right big sister! He might be extra hungry!" Miharu agreed readily seizing another wrapped basket of treats. "He'll love these!"

"I'm sure you will!" Maharu chuckled quietly to herself. "Come, now that you've got those, we should get something for everyone else."

"Big sister, what do you think Kirie will like? And Lisa? And Koyomi and Tomoka? And what about Ebi? And I shouldn't forget about Fukuyama!"

"Relax, I'm sure there's something they'll like in this place" Maharu assures ushering Miharu forward along the aisle formed between two large shelves stocked with treats and trinkets. "If not, we can try another shop."

"Wow! Do you think Kirie could use one of these!?" Miharu exclaims excitedly watching a small wooden bird dipping in and out of a small glass of water. "And what about this for Lisa?" she continues as she focuses on a dream catcher hanging from one of the shelves. "And a board game for Tomoka and I to play with! Koyomi would look so cute wearing this!" she says lifting up a necklace. "But what can I get Ebi? I don't remember getting her anything last time. And Fukuyama... Uhmmm" Miharu stops briefly, her face shaped by thought. "I got him panties last time. Maybe this time he'll like a bra? But that's silly! He can't wear one so maybe-"

"I can take a good guess as to what kind of stuff that guy likes" Maharu interrupts apprehensively. "Now let's hurry it up, we don't want to keep them all waiting now do we?" Maharu asks taking Miharu by the shoulders and aiding her in finishing up her shopping at the mall.

-TRANSITION-

On the morning following the day at the beach, Yukinari found himself staring at a young man in the mirror. This man had blue hair, blue eyes, and a thin coat of facial hair that coated his face. "Oh man, it's really growing in" he thought running his hand back and forth across his chin. "It's kind of itchy" he says scratching at it.

"Certainly doesn't feel ticklish" Kirie, standing behind him, examines running her own hand across his face and watching him in the mirror. "But if I ever have an itch on my face, I'll seek you out!" Kirie jokes rubbing her cheek against Yukinari's.

"Don't count on it" Yukinari responds holding up a new razor blade taken from a set of razors his father had left behind before leaving on business.

"You know how to do this right?" Kirie asks watching Yukinari hesitate.

"Sure I do... I just need to apply some shaving cream and then I start shaving" Yukinari says grabbing the can of shaving cream. "Simple enough."

"You should wash your face before putting on the shaving cream. It says so on the can."

"I-I knew that" Yukinari claimed just as he was about to dispense some shaving cream onto his palm.

"I'll be in the kitchen getting breakfast ready okay?" Kirie says exiting the bathroom.

"Sure" Yukinari, bent over the sink, returns as he starts to soak his face with water. With Kirie now out of the bathroom, Yukinari begins to spread the shaving cream all over his face. "Well, this is what I wanted. Miharu to get to come back and for things to return to how they once were... For the most part" he contemplates noting his relationship with Kirie. "Ow" he grunts to himself jerking the blade away from his face. Minutes later, Yukinari joins the rest of the housemembers at the breakfast table where he took a seat next to Kirie who sat opposite Koyomi and Tomoka, Ebi seated atop a stack of books atop her chair.

"Yukinari? Are you alright?" Kirie asks noticing the small red spots on Yukinari's face.

"Well I got the hair off of my face right?" Yukinari defends.

"Holy smokes! You're bleeding!" Tomoka squeaked turning her eyes up from the bowl in front of her. As both a young girl and a girl from Seiren, she was unfamiliar with the topic of facial hair. "Shaving must really hurt!"

"Funnily enough, dragging sharp blades across your skin doesn't hurt, it's just a bother. I better get used to it though. The hair's going to come back eventually" he surrenders. "Dad's got quite a bit of facial hair so I'm guessing same's going to happen to me."

"Here, wipe your face" Kirie advises as she hands a moist napkin to Yukinari.

"Why?" Yukinari asks taking the napkin and absentmindedly wiping his cheek. "Is there something on my fac- aaah!" Yukinari shouted in pain as he yanked the napkin away from his face. "What is this!?"

"It's rubbing alcohol. It's to disinfect your face" Kirie said giggling.

"Oh... Good one Kirie" he jokes dabbing at his face and grimacing at the stinging sensation. "...So girls" Yukinari begins turning to the two STA agents and to a lesser extent Ebi in the middle of breakfast. "I want Miharu's return to be extra special and I want you girls to make her feel very welcome. And I'd like some suggestions: how might we do that?"

"Well if you ask me" Koyomi answered dabbing at her lips with a napkin, "I think Miharu would like nothing more than to find a tableful of food, a friendly atmosphere, and her friends around it! But the food especially!" she answers making Yukinari and Kirie laugh nostalgically.

"That's exactly what Tomo was thinking! So? Shall Tomo cook something up?" Tomoka suggested rubbing her palms together.

"Aren't you a little too young?" Kirie questioned. "Do you even know how to cook?"

"Tomo's not too young! Just you watch! Tomo can cook just as good as you!" Tomoka boasted pointing a defiant finger across the table at Kirie.

"Doubt it" Kirie retorts straightening up in her seat.

"Okay then, how about we both cook for Miharu and we'll see which she likes more!?" Tomoka challenges.

"Fine" Kirie agrees with confidence. "You're on!"

"Must you two constantly fight with each other? And do you guys think that Miharu would make the best judge of taste?"

"If Miharu can eat it, she will like it" Koyomi chuckles loudly, Yukinari joining in. Shortly after breakfast was done, everyone helped to clear the table.

"Alright Tomoka, I want you to behave yourself. I don't want to come back and find out you've been teasing Ebi" Kirie warned standing beside Yukinari just as they were about to set off to school.

"Tomo won't!" Tomoka declares folding her arms offended.

"I'll keep an eye on them both" Koyomi offers.

"Nya nya" Ebi said softly as Kirie hugged her goodbye. Soon, Yukinari and Kirie were on their way to school hand-in-hand.

"So Kirie, I've been meaning to ask you: your parents haven't become suspicious about us have they?"

"Mom definitely knows we're dating" Kirie says fully expecting Yukinari to already know that.

"I don't mean that Kirie... I mean..."

"Oh! Oh... I think mom's figured it out" Kirie answers to Yukinari's nervousness.

"Uh-oh! She's not angry?" Yukinari asks as they both cross a street. "She doesn't mind you sleeping over and..."

"Well, my mother is 32. She had me when she was about my age, maybe younger so she'd think twice before criticizing. In any case, it's not like we didn't do things responsibly. That's most important. And no, she doesn't mind me sleeping over. Mom's pretty laid back."

"Well that's a relief... But what about your father?"

"My father is often so busy with work that it would probably take a long time before he finds out. He's often away on business trips and such so much so that if he had a second wife, she would be his career. Which is good because he'd come after you with a baseball bat if he found out" Kirie admits with seemingly little worry.

"Doesn't that concern you!?" Yukinari poses urgently. "What if your mom tells your dad!?"

"My mom often tells me that I got my temper from my dad" Kirie answers but not Yukinari's question in particular.

"Kirie!" Yukinari exclaims dreading a grown man with Kirie's temper coming after him with a baseball bat.

"You worry too much! Father will understand. My mother and I will make him understand!" Kirie assures. "We often do. And he's not exactly in any better position to criticize either if you think about it."

"I, I guess you're right Kirie" Yukinari finishes with a sigh just as they arrive at the open gates of Mizuno High. At school, Yukinari and Kirie were both the subject of their classmates' envy. The news of their getting together had been floating around school for a while now. Some students had seen Yukinari and Kirie kiss on a recent baseball game broadcast and other more nosy students, Fukuyama mostly, had caught Yukinari and Kirie making out during times they both believed they had some privacy.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Fukuyama drawled wearing a wide grin across his face, his head poking around a set of lockers long after gym class had ended. "You two seem to be having fun!"

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Kirie shouted backing away from Yukinari and grabbing Fukuyama by his conceited, snow-white uniform. She then, by some great act of forced contortionism, stuffs Fukuyama into a nearby open locker.

"Kirie! Let me out of here!" Fukuyama demanded beating on the locker door. "The basketball team will be coming back from practice any minute now! Let me out!"

"In that case, we better get going" Kirie agrees grabbing hold of Yukinari's hand and walking out just as large, sweaty basketball players reeking of testosterone started pouring in. Kirie leads the way to what they both hoped would be a secluded place, somewhere where they both could go uninterrupted. During lunch, they tried the far-side of the stadium bleachers underneath their shadow. The stadium was empty thus Kirie believed it to be perfect. "Maybe now we can have some privacy" she declares hanging her hands from Yukinari's shoulders. Their mouths eagerly joined and for a few passionate minutes, all that existed to them was their lips.

"You! You are guilty of negligence of duties!" a shout came from nearby. "Shameful! Absolutely shameful! You're supposed to be cleaning chewing gum!" exclaimed Mamoru Machida, a bespectacled student in what looked like a wrestler's mask. Holding a broom he had been using to clean the bleachers in his right hand, this boy pointed an accusatory finger with his left at Yukinari. "Explain yourself!"

"Oh no, it's that guy..." Kirie muttered quietly to Yukinari. "Go away!" Kirie exclaims annoyed.

"Yukinari should be cleaning chewing gum!" Mamoru tosses back. "I don't see any cleaning!"

"Yukinari's been hard at work all week! And it's not like there's much left anyways! Can't we get any privacy!?" Kirie demanded. Not waiting for an answer, she once again seized Yukinari's hand and lead the way anywhere away from the cleanliness-obsessed Mamo Ranger.

"You're not going anywhere!" Mamoru declares intercepting Kirie's path, his arms spread wide. It was a bad idea. With her great strength, Kirie shoves him aside effortlessly as she marched on and away pulling Yukinari along behind her.

"You're not getting away with this!" Mamoru shouts collapsed on the ground as Kirie and Yukinari speed away. All throughout, Yukinari couldn't help but appreciate how amorous Kirie could be at times.

"Well there goes lunch period" the brunette moaned as lunch period ended. Kirie had always valued the time she spent together with Yukinari and though they had eaten lunch together, the rest of lunch period she felt had been squandered.

"Kirie, we live next to each other" Yukinari observed humorously. "Lighten up!" he encouraged admiring Kirie's preoccupation.

"You're right" Kirie surrenders. "Jeez" she said with sigh. After school was over, Kirie found herself in the middle of detention in a room partially filled with other students, more than halfway through her two-week detention. "Ugh, this is taking forever" Kirie grumbled quietly to herself. Sitting in detention room, her left index finger tapped her desk at high speed as she stared at the clock on the wall impatiently and its mockingly slow minute hand.

"Why am I here!?" Fukuyama demands loudly seated next to Kirie.

"For peeping on the basketball team" Kirie mocks.

"You shoved me in there!" Fukuyama counters annoyed.

"I would have never guessed you pitched for the other team Fukuyama" Kirie teased further with a smirk. "It's okay, I accept you and your lifestyle."

"Shut up!" Fukuyama spat.

"Quiet down over there!" shouted the tall school faculty member overseeing the class from a corner of the room.

"Sorry" Kirie apologized quickly and the faculty member withdrew his head back behind a newspaper.

"So Kirie" Fukuyama whispers, "if you and Yukinari are going out, whatever happened to Miharu? Haven't seen her in a while."

"Long story" Kirie simply answers watching the minute hand on the clock, her head resting on her desk. "She went back to Seiren but she's coming back today" Kirie reveals.

"And so now she's single" Fukuyama said rubbing his chin, lecherous machinations in his head springing into life.

"Okay" the detention overseer announces, "that's two hours. Today's detention has concluded" he says glancing at his wristwatch. "You can all go home now but those whose detentions are not completed will still have to show up tomorrow, same time and place."

"That would include myself" Kirie thought as she and others stood up from their seats. "This was time I could have put to better use" she continued resentfully as she lifted her bag. "Still, punching that bastard Shinichi for bullying Yukinari was worth it" she thought feeling triumphant. "At least now it's over and I can go home." She proceeds out the door only to stop herself moments after walking out. "Wait a minute!" she thought urgently recalling the slip of her tongue minutes before. She glances at the number of students walking out but none of them were Fukuyama. "Fukuyama!" she shouted rushing back into the detention room. Inside, she finds the detention overseer gathering his things.

"What is the meaning of this Kojima!?" he demands appearing shaken as if he had been stealthily snuck up on from behind.

"I'm sorry, where did that tall blonde guy head off to?"

"Who? Who are you referring to?" the overseer inquired further having been too busy from gathering his things to pay enough attention.

"He, he jumped out, the window actually" one of the students still in the room answers incredulously.

"He what!?" Kirie gasped and she looked out one of the open windows to find Fukuyama speeding toward the front gates of the school. "Damn him!" she growls almost jumping out the window herself but stopping at the last moment, the height seeming much too dangerously high. She gives chase running out of the room, through a hallway, down two sets of stairs, out through the front exit and finally out through the front gates. "Me and my big mouth!" she cursed as she ran straight home. "I just hope Miharu hasn't returned yet. That damn Fukuyama! If he ruins Miharu's first day back from Seiren, I'm going to kill him!" she thought as she arrived at the front of Yukinari's house moments later. She seizes the handle and opens the front door. Inside, she finds a relatively calm atmosphere, Yukinari seated in front of the television looking somewhat apprehensive, a basket partially filled with treats on the coffee table. "Yukinari, I'm home" Kirie announces setting her bag down.

"He-hello Kirie" Yukinari greets. "How was your day?"

"Fine" Kirie quickly answers. "Did anything happen while I was away? Fukuyama didn't show up did he?"

"Fukuyama? No!" Yukinari answered surprised that Kirie would bring him up. "But Miharu has returned!" Yukinari revealed struggling to sound upbeat before deflating again. "She, she didn't come alone though..."

"What? What do you mean?"

"See for yourself Kirie" Yukinari stiffly answers indicating towards the kitchen. At the table she found Koyomi and Tomoka seated and Ebi standing at the side of a girl with long, bright pink hair, she too seated at the table and conversing with the aforementioned STA agents. It did not take long for Kirie to recognize who she was.

"Miharu!" Kirie exclaims excitedly. The girl with pink hair turned her head confirming that she was Miharu.

"Kirie!" Miharu exclaimed similarly and she stood up from her chair. Both closed the short distance between them and hugged. "I've missed you so much!" Miharu said loudly.

"Miharu! It's so good to have you back! It's been too long!" Kirie returns nostalgically as both held each other at arm's length.

"Oh Kirie, it feels so good to be back!" Miharu said beaming at Kirie, Koyomi, and Tomoka.

"When did you get back?"

"Umm" Miharu pondered the question, a finger on her chin. "About an hour ago. Oh! That reminds me! There's someone who I want to introduce to you!"

"The name's Seiichirou. I believe we've met before" said Seiichirou, the boy with fiery red hair sitting at the table.

"Seiichirou!?" Kirie voices taken by surprise.

"You two have met before!? That's wonderful!" Miharu said with glee, oblivious to the tension that had sprung up. "And Kirie, I've got you this!" Miharu resumes presenting Kirie with a long coat and a matching hat resembling a ushanka. "It's for winter! I think it looks so cute!"

"Why thank you Miharu!" Kirie says gratefully and hugs Miharu in gratitude. "But it's the middle of summer silly! Oh Miharu" she chuckled to herself. "But more importantly, what's he doing here?" she thought not looking in Seiichirou's direction.

"And I also got matching coats and hats for Koyomi and Tomoka but Ebi is in her human form so-"

"Let's go have a seat and talk about it some more over there Miharu" Kirie suggests directing Miharu towards where Yukinari was seated, away from Seiichirou.

"So? What's going on?" Kirie asked Yukinari in a whisper after everyone but Ebi and Seiichirou had gathered around the coffee table in the middle of the living room. Ebi instead of joining the others stood and stared at Seiichirou who remained seated at the dining table.

"Well, Miharu showed up at the front door about an hour ago, like she said" Yukinari whispers back as Miharu spoke eagerly about the coats and hats she had gotten for Koyomi and Tomoka and where she might be able to get a matching coat and hat for Ebi. "And according to her, she was being escorted by Seiichirou who was standing right beside her. Of course I let Miharu in and since I'm trying to get on this guy's good side, I welcomed him in too. He's said very little since then, Miharu's done most of the talking" Yukinari finished.

"Is that so?" Kirie responds looking in Seiichirou's direction.

"Hello there. Who might you be?" Seiichirou greeted Ebi shaking her fragile little hand with the greatest of care.

"Nya nya" Ebi greeted back tilting her head to one side, her hand moving up and down.

"So big brother, I was thinking we could show you around!" Miharu called out to Seiichirou. "I want to tell you all about the things we used to do here on Earth!"

"We?" Yukinari ponders. Seiichirou mulls over the idea for a moment.

"Okay little sister, sounds like a plan" Seiichirou agrees. As the protective older brother that he was, he found it not to be a bad idea.

"You'll see big brother! The shopping district is so much fun!" Miharu exclaimed excited.

"Koyomi, Tomoka, care to tag along?" Seiichirou asked.

"Definitely! Koyo too!" Tomoka declares eagerly.

"Well, okay" Koyomi agrees. "Miharu has come back so it'll be like old times!"

"This is kind of exciting isn't it girls? An exploration of Earth with fellow Seirenians!" Seiichirou comments.

"Tomo can hardly wait! She's got plenty of places she wants to go to!" Tomoka exclaims.

"Okay, enough talk. You girls get yourselves ready!" Seiichirou commands.

"How long have you been here on Earth Seiichirou?" Yukinari asked partly in response to Seiichirou's use of the word 'explore'.

"Not long enough."

"How long is that?" Yukinari continues, an eyebrow raised.

"About a month... A month and a half" Seiichirou answered simply but Yukinari wasn't sure whether to believe him or not.

"So if it's an outing for Seirenians, I guess that means us 'Earthlings' are counted out?" Kirie queried.

"Ehh, next time" Seiichirou answers awkwardly. "Let's go girls" Seiichirou commands as Miharu, Koyomi, and Tomoka join him and they proceed out.

"Well, we'll be back later. Don't come check up on us" Seiichirou advises as he closes the front door.

"Aren't they coming along big brother?" Miharu asked as all four step out onto the sidewalk.

"No. This is an outing meant only for Seiren residents. Considering how few of us Seirenians live on this planet, we need to stick together!" Seiichirou implored.

"Uhmm, okay" Miharu agreed as Koyomi and Tomoka exchanged glances.

"Now Miharu" Seiichirou resumes placing a firm grip on Miharu's shoulders from behind, "you said you'd show me around and tell me of all the things you used to do here on Earth. Please, lead the way."

"Oh. Okay!" Miharu agrees brightly as she leads the other three to the shopping district.

Back in Yukinari's house, Yukinari and Kirie find themselves alone sitting together on one of the living room couches.

"Did we just get ditched?" Kirie asked looking at the front door.

"Seems like it Kirie" Yukinari answers, his hands behind his head. "Brings me waaayy back."

"Whatever" Kirie says as she takes a seat right next to Yukinari. "Just us two then?"

"Yeah" Yukinari confirms.

"I'm okay with that" Kirie says caressing the hair on the back of Yukinari's head.

"Same here" Yukinari confirms and with little delay, they both start to kiss anew, Yukinari's hand massaging Kirie's thigh. Before either could get any further however, Ebi's presence makes itself known to the two. She sits herself down on the other couch oblivious to Yukinari and Kirie and starts to play with her toes.

"Uhh, Kirie" Yukinari interrupts, "we're not alone."

"Oh!" Kirie jumps in surprise. "I, I thought she went with them."

"No, apparently not."

"So I guess it's up to me to take care of her now?" Kirie remarked. "Alright... Ebi, are you hungry?" Kirie asks getting up and approaching Ebi. "Well, I guess my time with Yukinari will have to wait... again..." Kirie thinks to herself disappointed. "First Fukuyama, then that whatever Ranger and then detention..." she resented further.

"I'm impressed Kirie. You know you'll make a great mom one day" Yukinari teased.

"Oh shut up" Kirie retaliates blushing. "We can't expect Tomoka to look after her now can we?.. Tomoka's still a kid... Alright Ebi, seeing as how- Fukuyama!" Kirie exclaims suddenly.

"Kirie? What was that?" Yukinari asks, Kirie's exclamation taking him by surprise. "Is something wrong?"

"I forgot all about it, I'm sorry" Kirie apologized as she realizes she had forgotten all about Fukuyama. "Fukuyama knows that Miharu has returned!"

"He does!? How!?"

"I messed up!" Kirie admits apologetically. "I accidentally told him! I was careless!"

"But why are you so worried? So what if he knows? She's with Seiichirou so-"

"But we need to make sure!" Kirie insisted getting Ebi ready for their own outing outdoors. "Knowing Fukuyama, he'll come up with something, anything to get his grubby hands on Miharu" Kirie accused as she fitted shoes on Ebi's feet. "You're coming along right?"

"Sure Kirie, if you feel it necessary" Yukinari granted.

"I'm sorry Ebi, we'll get you something to eat at the shopping district... That was where they were headed right?"

"I thought I heard Miharu mention it" Yukinari recalls as he too prepared himself to go outdoors.

-TRANSITION-

"Big brother, I want to introduce you to one of the very first people I met when I came here to Earth" Miharu said as she, her older brother, and Koyomi and Tomoka walked through crowds in Mizuno's shopping district. "He's the banana man! He sells bananas!" Miharu explained as she approached the banana vendor.

"Well hello there Miharu! Here to get some more bananas? Of course you are!" the banana man, a pudgy middle-aged vendor, greeted with a warm chuckle. "You're my number one customer you know!"

"Hello Mister Banana Man! I'm just here showing my big brother around this shopping district!"

"Is that so? Hello there! My name is Mister Yoshichi and I own a fruit and vegetable shop. I welcome you, my number one customer's big brother, to this shopping district with a free sample" the vendor said offering a free banana. "Bananas are very good for you! High in potassium!"

"Why... thank you" Seiichirou thanked taking the banana graciously.

"And one for you Miharu! And of course, I can't forget your friends! That's three more bananas coming right up!" the vendor says turning his back to the four.

"Tomo wants an apple too!"

"Tomoka" Koyomi disciplined.

"Let's see what we have here! Let me get you some quality bananas" the vendor said rubbing his palms as he scanned his supply. After grabbing three bananas he turns back around. "Here you are-"

"Thank you very much Mister Yoshichi" Seiichirou quickly interrupted. "These bananas are lovely" Seiichirou added holding four bananas, three of which Mister Yoshichi had not handed over, the three bananas the vendor himself had grabbed still in his hands. "Well we better get going, we've got a lot to see! Nice meeting you Mister Yoshichi. Thanks again for the bananas! Goodbye!" Seiichirou said as he walked away briskly.

"Goodbye" Miharu said as she followed along, Koyomi and Tomoka also waving goodbye and departing.

"'The Golden Pan' is a great restaurant! If you're new here, be sure to give it a visit!" the vendor shouted over the crowd into which Miharu's party had disappeared into. "Strange fellow" the vendor thought returning to the maintenance of his open-air shop.

"Miharu."

"Big brother" Miharu answered.

"How long have you known that man?"

"Ever since I first came here!" Miharu answered happily. "He's a very nice man."

"He does seem like an okay guy" Seiichirou acknowledges as he hands a banana to Miharu and the two others to Koyomi and Tomoka. "But he's an exception Miharu! If someone offers you free food, don't accept it and get away from that person!" Seiichirou implored Miharu as he peeled his banana and took a bite.

"But what if it looks good?" Miharu asks naively, a banana peel in her hand.

"No Miharu! I forbid it! Don't talk to strangers and don't accept any of their offerings" Seiichirou said firmly to Miharu's disappointment. Seiichirou hated seeing his younger sister disappointed so he continues. "...Listen Miharu, if you're ever hungry, you let me know! Your big brother will get you something to eat!" Seiichirou declares placing a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

"Okay big brother!" Miharu said uplifted. Seiichirou squeezes Miharu's shoulder softly and smiles.

"Now let's get back to business. Where to next Miharu?"

"Let's see... Oh! There's a shop Yukinari and I went to once before. It was so much fun trying out the clothes there!"

"Alright Miharu, you're the leader. Lead the way" Seiichirou commands and Miharu takes the lead once more. Unbeknownst to any of the four, neither of the Kanakas nor the STA agents, there was a black limo quietly following them around the shopping district from a distance. Fukuyama rode inside this very limo, his eyes focused through a set of binoculars.

"So... Miharu has returned..." Fukuyama says tasting every word leaving his mouth. "And she's with Koyomi.. Both just waiting for me to make them mine! All mine!" Fukuyama drools. "But that man!" Fukuyama says focusing on Seiichirou. "That bastard dared to lay a disgusting man's hand on my gorgeous neck! Who the hell is he supposed to be and what is he doing with them!?" Fukuyama, after leaving detention had proceeded immediately to the Yukinari residence in hopes of seducing Miharu out of Yukinari's house. He was stopped short when he found not only Yukinari whom he thought he'd be able to outmaneuver but also Seiichirou, another one who had gotten the best of him before. Standing outside Yukinari's house, he stealthily dodged an incoming Kirie and instead called on the service of one of his staff at the Fukuyama estate.

"He bears a striking resemblance to the girl named Miharu" a maid with shoulder-length blue hair, red lipstick, and sitting to Fukuyama's right pointed out.

"Yes... now that you mention that, he does. Perhaps they are brother-sister?" Fukuyama suggested. "Miharu's never mentioned anything about a brother to me!"

"So what course of action will you like to take Master?" Lilica Stacy, Fukuyama's chief maid asked.

"I'll handle Miharu and Koyomi, gladly" Fukuyama instructs drooling. "You make sure that the guy with her does not interfere."

"Understood Master" Lilica obeyed and the black limo ventured closer without arousing the suspicion of anyone in Seiichirou's party. Instead, Miharu was busy excitedly pushing her older brother into a shop.

"Big brother, Yukinari and I once came here when I wanted to be a tiger in the sack! The clothing here is really cute!"

"M-Miharu! What the hell is this place!?" Seiichirou gasped shocked. From the ceiling hung female mannequins wearing provocative lingerie, some too thin and scant to leave much to the imagination. "Where the hell are we!?" Seiichirou repeats still shocked.

"Big brother? What's wrong?"

"Oooh! Look at this Koyo!" Tomoka squeaked pulling on a thong. "It's like a fuzzy rubber band!"

"Kyaah! Put that away Tomoka!" Koyomi exclaims red-faced.

"This is some funny underwear" Tomoka comments as she examined the thong in her hands.

"And look at this one!" Miharu says grabbing a bra with a pink bow in between the bra cups. "Isn't it cute? But you haven't seen anything until you've seen the garter belts and stockings they have here! And the skirts are some of the highest I've ever seen anywhere!" Unable to take anymore, Seiichirou snatches the pieces of undergarment in Tomoka and Miharu's hands and lifts the two girls up and over his shoulders. "Big brother, what's goin-"

"Rrrraaaarrrgghhh!" With all his strength, Seiichirou charges out of the shop with a roar, Koyomi managing to keep up. Outside, he lets Miharu and Tomoka down.

"Miharu! Did you say that Sasaki brought you here!? That bastard! I'll kill him!" Seiichirou snarled.

"No big brother, I read about lingerie in a book" Miharu reveals pulling out a book from her shoulder bag and handing it to her brother. "It's called 'The 999 Walls Between the Idiots and Me' by Kazuharu Fukuyama" Miharu said, the name of the author causing Seiichirou to scowl and Koyomi to flinch.

"What... is this!?" Seiichirou's anger boiled underneath as he flipped the pages of the book.

"It's a book about love and many other things I don't understand!" Miharu declares with glee.

"Miharu... how did you get this!? Who gave you this!?"

"The author himself!" Miharu claimed proudly. "Oh! And there he is now!" Miharu said as she pointed at Fukuyama standing behind Seiichirou.

"What?" Seiichirou said looking behind him, Fukuyama evading his line of sight by staying on his six o'clock. "Miharu, there's no one the- scoundrel!" Seiichirou roared as he turned back around to find Fukuyama running off at full speed, Miharu carried off in his vile clutches.

"Fukuyama, where are we going?" Miharu asks.

"To paradise my love" Fukuyama answers with a smile.

"You... bastard!" Seiichirou shouted once more tearing the book in his hands across the spine barehanded. Immediately, Seiichirou gives chase but just as he starts, he is tripped, his leg seized by someone's hand and swung causing him to fall. Turning around immediately, he finds Lilica standing over him.

"Good afternoon" Lilica greets. "My name is Lilica Stacy. And you are?"

"What the hell is your problem lady!?" Seiichirou demands looking up but does not wait for an answer. He gets up quickly and resumes the chase only to have his path intercepted by Lilica, her speed taking him by complete surprise.

"Get out of my way!" Seiichirou commands.

"I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to interfere with Master's plans. I'm afraid your chase will have to end as quickly as it has started" Lilica informed calmly.

"Master?"

"That's right. That man you were planning on chasing is my Master" Lilica said taking a defensive stance. "And I cannot permit you interfering."

"So you're involved with that man?" Seiichirou concludes offended. "You're involved in Miharu's kidnapping!?" Seiichirou asks, his voice rising. He is met with silence, Lilica standing her ground. "...Very well... I've never struck a woman before and I never planned to but it looks like I'll have to make an exception" Seiichirou voiced anxiously. Without warning, he charges full-speed toward Lilica hoping to simply knock her over and out of his way. He knew that he had little time to waste and thus, he charged with all his might aiming a tackle at Lilica. Just as he's about to make contact, his shoulder squared in front of him, Lilica sidesteps and kicks his ankle causing him to trip again, his momentum working against him.

"Give up, you stand no chance against me" Lilica warned looking down at Seiichirou. Seiichirou stands quickly and swings a right fist, Lilica dodging it with great agility. Seiichirou swings his left, Lilica jerking her head back just beyond Seiichirou's reach. Taking advantage of the attack's recoil, Lilica knees Seiichirou in the gut causing the wind to explode out of him.

"Gaaahh!" Seiichirou coughed as he grasped at his abdomen and fell to one knee, Koyomi and Tomoka watching helplessly.

"Stop this at once!" Koyomi shouted but her cry went unheeded.

"I am defending myself against my attacker" Lilica says as she watched Seiichirou struggle back to both feet.

"Bullshit!... You're kidnapping Miharu!... I will not allow that!" Seiichirou shouted with determination as he regained his wind.

"You're a strong one, I can tell" Lilica complimented.

"Don't screw with me!" Seiichirou shouts charging back in as he again attempted to force Lilica out of his way. Seiichirou throws a punch, Lilica catches it with her left making Seiichirou's hand feel as though it had punched a wall. Holding firmly onto Seiichirou's fist, Lilica responds with one of her own. Her right fist curves up into an uppercut burrowing underneath Seiichirou's sternum. "Ghaaaff. Kaff kaff" Seiichirou coughed.

"But you're an amateur" Lilica evaluates looking down at a staggered Seiichirou. Down at Lilica's feet, Seiichirou, seeing Lilica's legs in front of him, charges hoping to knock her off balance. Without warning, he charges aiming at the lower ends of Lilica's legs. Lilica foresees this and plants one foot atop his head midcharge and turns his own momentum against him. She kicks the back of his head jumping above his tackle and he falls forward, his balance lost. "Such a sloppy tackle" Lilica insulted, Seiichirou flat down on the ground. Their fight was far from over but the confrontation was clearly Lilica's to win. As Koyomi and Tomoka watched helplessly, Koyomi's cell phone rang.

"Koyo! Your phone!" Tomoka informs a shocked Koyomi.

"Oh! Sorry!... He-hello?" Koyomi answered.

"Hello Koyomi?" Kirie asks scanning the crowds going about their business at the shopping district. Yukinari stood by Kirie, up on his shoulders sat Ebi holding a small bag with the logo of a local restaurant chain. "Koyomi, where are you? Are you with the others?"

"Oh Kirie, it's terrible!" Koyomi said into the phone urgently. "Fukuyama has taken Miharu!"

"That's what I was afraid of! That damned Fukuyama! Where are you now?" Kirie asks. Koyomi looked around immediately hoping to find some landmark but ultimately settled for the shop they had just exited.

"We-we're in front of Mami's Secret, the clothing store!"

"Mami's Secret? Where's that?" Kirie asked aloud.

"Mami's Secret?" Yukinari reacts recalling his date with Miharu months ago. "The clothing store? Kirie, I know where that is, follow me!"

"Hold still!" Seiichirou shouted as he tossed a high kick which Lilica evaded and retaliated with an elbow into Seiichirou's rib. "Ggaaaahhh!"

"What's going on over there?" Kirie asked hearing the commotion over the phone as she followed Yukinari.

"Oh Koyomi!" Fukuyama's voice chirped from behind Koyomi.

"Please hurry Kirie!" Koyomi screamed into the phone before the connection was killed.

"Koyomi? Hello?" Kirie said holding up her cell phone up to her ear. "Yukinari, we've got to hurry!"

"Gotcha!" Yukinari confirms as he picks up the pace. Back in front of Mami's Secret, Seiichirou's struggle against Lilica continued and Fukuyama's chase had just begun.

"Noo! Get away from me!" Koyomi screamed in distress as she ran from Fukuyama.

"Koyomi! Were you in Mami's Secret looking for lingerie!?" Fukuyama calls excitedly. "You shouldn't worry about that, I can get you all the lingerie my heart desires!"

"Nnooooo!" Koyomi screamed.

"Get back here you stupid pervert!" Tomoka shouted as she tried to keep up. "Curse Tomo's short legs!" she shouted as she fell behind.

"Koyomi! Tomoka!" Seiichirou shouted as Koyomi and Tomoka disappeared from view, his body worn out, bruised, and tired from his fight against Lilica. "No! No!" he exclaimed in frustration. "I can't fail her! I mustn't fail them! Damn it!"

"Young man! What is your name?" Lilica suddenly demanded taking Seiichirou by surprise.

"Screw you!" Seiichirou spat. "I have nothing to say to you!" he shouts charging again with a straight punch. His attack is deflected when Lilica slaps his incoming fist out of the way and again she knocks him back down onto the ground.

"The girl, she is your sister is she not?"

"Yes! She is!" Seiichirou reveals getting back up. "And you're taking her! You sick bitch!"

"Did you know she once worked with me as a maid at the Fukuyama estate?"

"Bullshit!"

"No, it's true. And she was treated very well by our staff."

"Shut your damned mouth!" Seiichirou screams enraged, his ears unable to process what he believed to be nonsense.

"Your sister, she's a very naive girl. Take good care of her" Lilica says knowing full well Seiichirou would not take this too well.

"What the fuck is your problem!?" Seiichirou shouted angrily at the audacity of the maid he was struggling to overcome. Not only was she helping to kidnap his younger sister, she was mocking him too. He charges again fruitlessly, his determination to rescue his younger sister driving him blind with rage. "Get out of my way!" Part of Seiichirou knew trying the same thing again would end with the same result but at this point, he was not driven by reason but by desperation. He realized the maid who was standing in his way fought on a higher level but his sister's well-being was on the line: that trumped everything. Lilica dodges making Seiichirou brace himself for a counter. A kick, a punch, or an elbow? A knee perhaps or headbutt? Neither came. Instead, Seiichirou continues running so fast that he stumbles, his legs unable to keep up with his speed. He slows to a stop surprised by the fact that Lilica was simply standing there, her hands at her side.

"Go get her, your sister."

"What kind of fool do you take me for!? What are you planning!?" Seiichirou demands now feeling confused atop of feeling angered, exhausted, and pained from the aches, scrapes, and bruises covering his body.

"Just go" Lilica insisted, the sincerity in her voice coming through. Seiichirou did not hesitate, his will to fight drained. He ran in the direction that Fukuyama had gone in hopes of finding him and beating him until he got his sister back. "Not bad" Lilica thinks to herself as she begins to tear at her own maid uniform. She slaps herself across the face several times and even punches herself in the face bruising it in the process, her teeth cutting the inside of her mouth and giving them a slight red hue. Looking around her, Lilica realizes several people looking her way, people who had been watching the struggle and subsequent self-harm. Without a word, Lilica walks on ignoring people's stares.

-TRANSITION-

"Not much longer Kirie" Yukinari said as he lead Kirie towards Mami's Secret, a clothing and lingerie shop.

"Hold it Yukinari" Kirie says stopping. Yukinari turns her way to find her looking at a long and luxurious limousine stopped at a red light. "I've found Miharu" she says pointing at the backseat of the limo.

"Really?" Yukinari asks as he follows the direction in which Kirie was pointing. Through one of the windows he sees Miharu seated quietly.

"Yukinari, get Miharu out, I'll stall the driver" Kirie instructs.

"Got it" Yukinari agrees and proceeds to the rear side of the limo. As he does so, Kirie takes a stand at the front of the limo.

"Hey lady, get out of the way!" the uniformed driver shouts sticking his head out the driver's side window, cars behind him starting to honk their horns.

"Hey there! Where are you headed?" Kirie shouts back. "It's not the Fukuyama Estate is it?" she asks taking the driver by surprise.

"None of your business lady, just get out of the way!"

"Just a second" she answers as she watched Yukinari open the door next to Miharu's seat.

"Hello Yukinari! Hello Ebi! Are you guys going with me too?" Miharu greets innocently.

"Hello Miharu" Yukinari returns. "I'm afraid not Miharu, this ride's done" Yukinari declares as he pulls Miharu out.

"Really? But Fukuyama told me to wait in here... That's a shame" Miharu comments and Yukinari closes the limo door.

"Okay, sorry about that" Kirie apologizes as she gets out of the limousine's way and the driver obliviously resumes his drive onward at the flashing of the green light.

"I wonder how long until he realizes that Miharu's not in the limo anymore?" Kirie asked grinning as she rejoined Yukinari, Ebi, and Miharu on the sidewalk.

"I can't believe he didn't notice me getting Miharu out" Yukinari said.

"Well, he was busy shouting at me and traffic was honking at him..." Kirie recalled. "And it was a pretty long limo..."

"Hello Kirie!" Miharu greets brightly.

"Hello Miharu" Kirie answers as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Koyomi a second time. "...She's not picking up" Kirie observes, her cell phone up to her ear. "Yukinari, I'm getting really worried" Kirie says fearfully.

"Relax Kirie, we'll find her" Yukinari says as they approach Mami's Secret. "Actually, there she is now!" Yukinari declares looking off in the distance where he sees Koyomi running toward them. "Koyomiii!" Yukinari calls out. Koyomi sees them and urgently makes a beeline toward them. As Koyomi approaches, Fukuyama appears as he chases after her.

"Yukinariii! Help!" Koyomi cries reaching him successfully and putting him in between Fukuyama and herself.

"Jeez Koyomi... how can you... be so fast?.." Fukuyama says catching his breath. "Punynari... get out of the way!" Fukuyama barked.

"Are you seriously asking that Fukuyama?" Yukinari asks perfectly accustomed to an audacious Fukuyama.

"Yukinari, let me take care of him" Kirie offers stepping forward and cracking her knuckles.

"Aaaahh!" Fukuyama shouts intimidated. "Wait wait wait Kirie! Please, I was only joking! I swear!"

"Is that so?" Kirie asks as she stepped toward Fukuyama menacingly. "Well, if it was a joke then I guess I can forgive you..."

"Really?" Fukuyama asks surprised.

"Really?" Yukinari and Koyomi repeat just as surprised.

"Really" Kirie confirms. "Question is, can 'he' forgive you?" Kirie ponders as she looked behind Fukuyama.

"What?" Fukuyama turns his head to find Seiichirou walking slowly toward him, his face twisted in a vengeful rage, Tomoka following behind him. "Aaaahh!"

"...You... scum!" Seiichirou exclaims. "I've finally found you..." he says, his hands tightening into fists. Tomoka leaves Seiichirou's side and joins up with Koyomi who's still standing behind Yukinari. "And now I'm going to enjoy pounding you into the cold, hard pavement" Seiichirou breathes as he cracks his knuckles.

"Wait wait wait!" Fukuyama says terrified but to no avail. Seiichirou grabs him by his white uniform and pulls him into range.

"Miharu, Koyomi, where do you want it?" Seiichirou asks aiming his right fist.

"Where do I want what?" Miharu asks.

"Whatever! Just make him go away!" Koyomi wailed.

"That pretty-boy face of his it is!" Seiichirou decides.

"Aaaahh!" Fukuyama panics. Without hesitating, Seiichirou sends a powerful punch flying toward Fukuyama but it is stopped dead by someone standing directly behind him. "What the hell?"

"I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to do that" the person holding Seiichirou's attack mutters.

"Lilica!" Fukuyama says relieved to see her standing exactly on Seiichirou's six. "Get this punk's hands off of me!" Fukuyama ordered. Without delay, Lilica follows the order: she pounds Seiichirou straight into the ribs causing Seiichirou to wince, his grasp on Fukuyama's uniform releasing. She then takes Seiichirou's releasing arm, his left, and twists it behind him painfully.

"Big brother!" Miharu shrieked.

"Oww! Let me go!" Seiichirou demands in pain.

"Very well" Lilica agrees and she kicks him in the back forcing him away from Fukuyama.

"What is your deal lady?" Seiichirou asks turning toward Lilica. Lilica ignores him and turns to Fukuyama.

"Master, are you okay?" Lilica questions standing between Fukuyama and Seiichirou.

"Yes, I'm okay" Fukuyama confirms tending to his uniform. "...Lilica, your uniform! And your face! You're injured! You're bleeding!"

"My fight with this man was not an easy one" Lilica explains stunning Seiichirou in the process. "He was... a skilled fighter... and he landed quite a few powerful blows-" Lilica sways in her spot before falling into Fukuyama's arms seemingly hurt and exhausted.

"Lilica! Are you okay!?" Fukuyama asks concerned.

"I'm sorry Master, I'm exhausted and mildly concuss... The fight has taken much out of me" Lilica says weakly, a few cuts on her bruised face still bleeding.

"You bastard!" Fukuyama snarls angrily at Seiichirou. "What have you done!?"

"But I never-"

"Master! We must get away from him! Please! He is a savage!" Lilica pleaded.

"If you feel it best Lilica, you may withdraw!" Fukuyama answers compassionately. He aids Lilica in walking off after noticing she was walking with a limp. "I will continue this mission alone Lilica! I assure you Miharu and Koyomi will be mine. You however must rest." As they walk off, their backs to the others, Seiichirou shouts.

"No they will not!" Seiichirou assures. "Stay away from Miharu! From Koyomi!" Seiichirou is ignored, Fukuyama and Lilica continue walking. "Hey! Are you listening!?" Seiichirou approaches the two but as he does so, Lilica brandishes a needle dart right behind Fukuyama's back and just as quickly she jabs the back of her master's neck.

"Aaaah" Fukuyama screams in pain.

"Master! He's gotten you!" Lilica shrieks as she pulls the same dart out and shows it to Fukuyama. "The scoundrel!"

"I did no such-" Seiichirou counters before being interrupted again.

"Another tranquilizer dart!?" Fukuyama gasps. "Not again..." he says pitying himself. "...You..." Fukuyama begins turning around to face Seiichirou. "How dare you? Don't you know who... I... am?..." Fukuyama manages to finish before collapsing into a drugged slumber. As he sleeps, Lilica stands over him. She pulls out a cell phone from her person and speaks into it after dialing.

"This is Lilica. Get me transporation over at my location" she speaks into the phone and then suddenly closes it not bothering to wait for an answer. "Young man" she says turning to Seiichirou.

"Lady, you are a whole lot of crazy" Seiichirou says feeling too tired even to try to figure out what was going on.

"Young man!" Lilica repeats more forcefully the second time.

"What?" Seiichirou answers.

"I'm sorry I've caused you such trouble" Lilica says. "But rest assured it was not my intention to let Master get too far..." Seiichirou only stares back looking more confused than ever. "Let me start from a little further back" Lilica offers noticing the complete bewilderment on Seiichirou's face. "Don't worry, I'll keep it brief: Master and I have been tracking you from the instant you left the Sasaki residence. When you and the girls in your party split from Yukinari and Kirie and had created some distance between yourself and the Sasaki residence, Master decided to strike. He ordered me to make sure you did not interfere as he set about abducting your sister. You know better than anyone else I followed his orders to the letter, at least initially. After I had had enough of our bout, I let you go."

"Why did you do it?" Seiichirou asks out of a nagging curiosity.

"I felt a kindred spirit emanating from you when I first saw you... I can tell you like a good fight don't you?" Seiichirou does not answer but his expression confirms Lilica's suspicions. "You remind me of myself and so many of the soldiers I had served with during my war years long ago. That foolish eagerness to throw a punch and more importantly, the noble urge to protect your loved ones. All very admirable qualities" Lilica compliments beaming at a speechless Seiichirou. "Thank you... I'm sorry, your name is?"

"M-my name's Seiichirou Sena Kanaka" Seiichirou answers.

"Yes, thank you Seiichirou. Our fight was an interesting one" Lilica said as a black vehicle pulled up near her on the street. "Well, I must get going. Nice meeting you Seiichirou" Lilica says as she walks off toward her ride.

"Wait!" Seiichirou calls out making Lilica stop and turn her head. "Why do you call that man your master?"

"Because I am a maid. Maids have master's do they not?"

"But why do you agree to such a position? A position of servitude?"

"What is with this line of interrogation suddenly? If you must know, I am a maid for hire and I was hired not only to serve as maid but also as this man's bodyguard. He is the member of an important family after all. That makes him important." Lilica turns once more intending to board her ride. "My job above all else is to guard his life and wellbeing, not so much to follow his exact orders so I did not break my contract with the Fukuyama family when I disobeyed my Master."

"Wait, just one more thing!..." Seiichirou calls out again. "...I didn't get your name."

"I told you before didn't I? It's Lilica Stacy" Lilica answers.

"Lilica... Will we ever meet again, Lilica?" Seiichirou asked.

"Probably. Master isn't one to give up so easily so yes, chances are high... Goodbye..." With that, Lilica enters the car waiting for her and it takes off disappearing around a turn at an intersection, Seiichirou watching as it goes. Seiichirou stands there quietly for a moment before Miharu approaches him, Ebi holding her hand.

"Big brother, are you okay?" Miharu asks standing next to her older brother who was lost in thought.

"Yes" Seiichirou answered quickly. "Miharu, are you okay? Did that damned man do anything to you?" Seiichirou asks examining Miharu for injuries.

"No big brother" Miharu answers. "But you look hurt big brother."

"I'm fine. I've had worse" Seiichirou responded. "So Miharu, is it true? Did you once work with Lilica?"

"Oh yes! I worked with her once before as a maid at the Fukuyama residence!"

"Did she treat you well? That man didn't try anything funny did he?"

"No, they were both extremely kind to me" Miharu recalls to Seiichirou's relief.

"...So Lilica was telling the truth" Seiichirou thought. "Did she do that to herself also?" he continued quietly to himself thinking of the damage to Lilica's uniform and the injuries on her face. Seiichirou was intrigued by her in a way he'd never felt about anyone else before. He wanted to know more about her for a reason he couldn't quite pin down.

"Kirie, what do you think is going on?" Yukinari asks Kirie in a whisper. Kirie could only giggle inwardly, one hand up to her mouth.

"Big brother, I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat now?" Miharu asks.

"Oh, oh! Yes, of course" Seiichirou answers getting back to the task at hand. "Girls, Sasaki, how about we get something to eat? My treat!... Except you Sasaki." Seiichirou adds causing Yukinari to lower his eyelids expectantly and chuckle. He wasn't surprised in the least.

"Tomo's starving!"

"Dinner sounds lovely" Koyomi said glad Fukuyama was gone. "Thank you so much!"

"It 'is' getting close to dinner time" Kirie said noting the evening sky.

"So where are we going?" Seiichirou asks. "How about this 'Golden Bowl' place that Mister Yoshichi suggested before?"

"Big brother, it's called 'The Golden Pan' and it's delicious!" Miharu giggled. The others around Miharu laughed as well though it was mostly because Miharu often had that exact opinion of almost any type of food. "Let's go big brother! I can't wait!"

"Lead the way then Miharu!" Seiichirou said taking great joy in seeing Miharu happy.

"Okay! I know exactly where it is! Everyone follow me!" Miharu exclaims excited and everyone followed her lead. They arrived, they were promptly seated around a large round table, and the food at The Golden Pan was delicious. The atmosphere was very relaxing especially in contrast to prior stressful events. "So big brother? What did you think about today?" Miharu asks, a plateful of food before her.

"It was a heck of an experience" Seiichirou evaluated. "Very tiring."

"So did you like our day out today big brother?"

"Of course I did Miharu!" Seiichirou answers to Miharu's delight.

"Really?.. I thought it was plenty stressful" Kirie said after taking a sip from her drink. "Still, this place is nice and I can finally relax here" she said, Yukinari's arm around her, Ebi sitting on her lap nibbling on an appetizer.

"And the food is delicious!" Miharu sung biting into a roasted chicken leg.

"I thought you'd like it" Yukinari said humorously soliciting some laughter around the table.

"So big brother, can we do this again tomorrow?"

"Sure, if that's what you want" Seiichirou said happily.

"I just hope the crazed pervert doesn't attack again" Koyomi said warily.

"Koyomi, I don't think that guy will be such a problem in the future. You just leave him to me" Seiichirou said confidently thinking back to Fukuyama's maid. From Seiichirou's point of view, a number of interesting and alarming things had happened that day. The odd but friendly banana man, the lewd book authored by Fukuyama, the scandalous clothing shop, the malicious abduction. But among those events and even among many of the things that had happened to him so far on Earth, his encounter with Lilica Stacy stood as one of the most fascinating of them all.

Author commentary: I just noticed I uploaded the previous chapter exactly on the first anniversary of this fanfiction. Sucks I didn't notice! So... happy birthday to this fanfiction!... Well, better late than never I suppose. Thanks for reading and for the reviews! They're all very inspirational! 


	26. Chapter 26

Over 11,500 words!... Wow!...

Season 3 Episode 50: Bravery is Bravo!

It had certainly not been the first time... Not even by a small margin. Koyomi was running, for how long she did not know. She hoped that someone, anyone would save her but her feet hurt and she had no idea where her attacker was. It was becoming all too common an occurrence. The depraved and lecherous Fukuyama was hot on her tail wearing that same lecherous look on his face. "Ooh Koyooomii, where did you go-oo?" Fukuyama called out rhythmically as he ran along a less crowded sidewalk near Mizuno's shopping district. He was close, Koyomi could feel it and it filled her with a terrible horror. She looked left and right only to see shoppers going about their business. She breathed easily feeling she had lost that terrible menace but in the back of her mind, she knew it was not over. Fukuyama was her greatest fear not only because he was male but also because of his persistence and lascivious behavior. A man who cared not for personal space and only for his carnal gratification. Aside from Fukuyama, men were Koyomi's next greatest fear. She had spent enough time on Earth to be able to walk around in public but speaking with them caused her to break out in a nervous cold sweat, a frantic heart rate, and a disruptive tremble. There existed exceptions: Koyomi's father who lived secretly on Seiren. There was also Seiichirou who was from Seiren like her father. Koyomi did not understand her condition and perhaps the fact that Seiichirou was from Seiren was the reason he did not trigger her phobia. And finally there was Yukinari, an Earthling who she'd come to know as a friend and though he no longer triggered her phobia, Yukinari still made her feel nervously uneasy at times. None of that mattered at the moment however. "Oh Koyomi, where are you? There's no need to hide, I can be a very friendly guy you know!" Fukuyama called out from around the corner of a building reminding Koyomi of the chase as she continued running hoping to run into either Kirie, Yukinari, or Seiichirou who could save her from her blonde predator.

"I've got to keep running" Koyomi urged herself as she looks behind her to see only strangers. "I think I've lost him, thank goodn-" Koyomi, not paying attention to where she was going is suddenly interrupted by running into what she thought was another person. "I-I'm so sorry" Koyomi excuses stepping back and looking at the person she had just run into.

"It's okay Koyomi. I got to feel your body pressing against mine! I can already tell your breasts are soft yet perky!" the man compliments.

"Kyaaaahh!" Koyomi screamed finding out to her horror she had run into the blonde-haired pervert Fukuyama. That was another thing that made her skin crawl: Fukuyama had the uncanny ability to appear almost anywhere. It was as if he could teleport anywhere to torment Koyomi wherever she went whenever he wished. She broke out into a frantic run away from Fukuyama but it was futile. Fukuyama's arms wrap around her dragging her into his repulsive clutches.

"Koyomi, why do you run? How could you possibly resist these luscious lips?" Fukuyama asks puckering his lips towards Koyomi's own.

"Nnnnooooo!" Koyomi screamed trying to hold Fukuyama's face away from her own but to no avail. She was weak, her thin arms no match against Fukuyama's testosterone-driven strength. She shut her eyes and clenched her lips determined to resist to the very end.

"I don't think so" Yukinari's voice came from somewhere beside Koyomi. She opens her eyes to find Yukinari's hand over Fukuyama's face halting its encroachment, Yukinari's other hand gripping Koyomi's shoulder reassuringly. With a swing of his arm, Yukinari knocks Fukuyama back and away from Koyomi. "You've got a lot of nerve Fukuyama!"

"Punynari! How dare you!?" Fukuyama growled. "Don't deny me my woman!"

"Just give it up Fukuyama. You're surrounded" Yukinari counters. Fukuyama looks around him and finds that Yukinari was right: he found both Seiichirou and Kirie standing nearby behind him, Miharu standing behind Seiichirou.

"You're surrounded you sick bastard!" Seiichirou growls.

"Fukuyama, when the hell will you ever learn to give up?" Kirie demands angrily.

"You speak as if I do this constantly!" Fukuyama answers.

"This is the eighth time this week! And that's not counting the number of times you've gone after Miharu!" Kirie counters. "You've got your floozies! Why can't you just go pester them!?"

"Shame on you Kirie, you should know me better than that by now" Fukuyama says grinning. "You should know part of the joy of this is the hunt!" he exclaims lunging forward toward Koyomi, a goofy, lewd grin on his conceited mug.

"Kyaaa!" Koyomi screams withdrawing behind Yukinari, Yukinari standing his ground between her and Fukuyama. It was not necessary, Fukuyama being stomped down flat by Kirie's kick.

"Knock it off!" Kirie barks kicking him further several times.

"Okay okay! I give!" Fukuyama cries waving a pocket-sized white flag. Kirie stops allowing Fukuyama to painfully stand up before retreating. "This isn't over!" he shouts before he disappears behind a building.

"No, I didn't think so" Kirie moaned in frustration.

"This is the eighth time he's done this?" Seiichirou asked incredulously.

"The guy's stubborn, there's no disputing that" Yukinari remarks turning to Koyomi. "Relax Koyomi, he's gone" Yukinari guaranteed with a warm smile. Yukinari, the boy who once had a girl-allergy and was often called 'punynari' had turned it all around. Through hard work, he had become stronger and had earned himself the respect of many around him. Standing behind him was Kirie, a short-tempered but well-meaning brunette who with flashy kung-fu moves could take on men several times her own size or forces outnumbering her. And then there was Seiichirou, an aggressive and fearless individual who despite his violent nature had always held the safety of Miharu and friends as most important to him. They were all capable of protecting Koyomi whenever anyone dared to distress her... But that was another thing: her reliance on people around her for protection. Whenever Fukuyama would give chase, it was someone else who would come to her aid and bring the chase to an end. Koyomi was a Space Travel Agent who was sent on a mission to Earth to find a husband for Maharu but even that she could not do, not without Kirie lending a hand and Tomoka, a younger agent potentially outdoing her. It was very frustrating to have a profession she could not handle. It was even more frustrating having the threat of the blonde pervert hanging over her head all day, every day. But what could she do against someone like Fukuyama who was much taller than her and a man no less?

"Well, this outing is off to a rocky start" Kirie remarks annoyed.

"How did you guys even become associated with that character?" Seiichirou queries as they all make their way to a local grocery store.

"He was a presence at school long ago and still is today. You just couldn't avoid his tyranny. No one could" Kirie explains vaguely. "I mean even going to a grocery store is threatened by his existence!" As Koyomi followed the others, Yukinari, Kirie, Miharu, and Seiichirou, toward the store she stared at the ground in front of her, that familiar feeling of inadequacy weighing on her shoulders. At the store, Koyomi followed the others close behind fearing another visit from Fukuyama but thankfully, the shopping went smoothly and Fukuyama did not appear. With their shopping done, they all headed home.

"Welcome home!" Tomoka greets the incoming party at the entrance of Yukinari's house.

"Hey Tomoka" Seiichirou greets, Yukinari, Kirie, and Miharu greeting similarly and they all make their way in, shopping bags in tow. Tomoka did not join the others in their outing, a more urgent 'Poyon' marathon keeping her indoors. As for Ebi, she was not in the house and was instead left in the care of Kirie's mother next door.

"Hello Tomoka" Koyomi greets apathetically and sets the shopping bag she had been carrying down on the floor. She makes her way to the living room and sits quietly on the couch feeling exhausted.

"So? Did Koyo get it?" Tomoka asks excited.

"Yes" Koyomi sighs with her head resting on the couch. Immediately, Tomoka plunges her hands into the shopping bag by Koyomi and pulls out a box of cereal. Within it was a limited-edition 'Poyon' scepter which Tomoka wasted no time in extracting somewhat violently.

"Got it!" Tomoka squealed. "This is great!" she exclaims waving the scepter around. "...Hey Koyo? Something wrong?" Tomoka asks noting the worried look on Koyomi's face.

"No, nothing's wrong" Koyomi excuses. "I'm just a little tired. Actually, I think I need some fresh air" Koyomi said as she stood up and proceeded out to Yukinari's backyard.

"Oh, okay" Tomoka accepted. "...Oh no! Look out behind you!" she squeaks turning back to the television screen. Outside in the backyard, Koyomi approaches one of the small bushes next to the base of Yukinari's back fence. Almost as if on queue, the head of her python pokes out from the entrance of a burrow deep underground. Koyomi extends her arm down toward her reptile and it slithers out and up Koyomi's arm.

"Hello Hebi. How was your day?" Koyomi whispered as the recently-named snake wrapped around Koyomi's body. Most would have been afraid to have an animal that kills by squeezing its prey as a pet but Koyomi trusted Hebi, he having defended her from Fukuyama in the past. "Have a good rest Hebi? It must be so nice to be able to go underground and get away from the world huh?" Koyomi says smiling at and petting her snake. The snake simply looks back at her and flicks his tongue. "Would you like to go with me somewhere tomorrow morning? If the pervert shows up again, you can protect me from him. Will you come along?" she requests as her pet's gaze wanders around the backyard. "...Listen to me, I'm talking to a snake" Koyomi ponders embarrassed at herself. "Have I truly sunken so low?" she sighed.

The next morning after Yukinari and Kirie had set off to school, Koyomi prepared to set out somewhere as well. "Tomoka, can I trust you to look after the house?"

"Tomo's not a kid anymore! She can look after herself!" Tomoka protested. "Tomo can even look after Ebi but no one lets Tomo especially the paranoid boob monster!" Tomoka added referring to the fact that Koyomi had decided to take Ebi with her.

"Yes well I don't want to burden you with taking care of Ebi" Koyomi explained.

"Yeah whatever" Tomoka grumbled crossing her arms. With that Koyomi exited with Ebi walking alongside her, a harness wrapped around Ebi's tiny frame that Koyomi was using to make sure they didn't get too far from each other. This was especially important considering Koyomi was pulling Hebi along behind her in a wheeled pet carrier.

"Okay, off we go" Koyomi declares setting off.

-TRANSITION-

At the UFC's entrance room, Nina was sitting behind the front counter, a small book in her hand holding her attention. "An esper, a time-traveler, and an alien?... What a wacky club" she muttered taking a bite out of an apple, her eyes not leaving the pages of the book in her hand. Out of the corner of her eye however, she noticed several people dressed in 'j-rocker' fashion in the distance crowding around something or someone on the sidewalk. "What the heck are those people doing?" she wondered pulling her eyes away from the book. Her curiosity peaked, she put the book away, exited the club and walked towards the crowd. As she got closer, she noticed Koyomi in the center of the crowd, Ebi and a carrying case at her sides.

"Hey, you're kind of cute! How's about we go out?" one of the men in the crowd sporting a mohawk asked a frightened and cornered Koyomi.

"No! Get away!" Koyomi wailed weakly backing away.

"Hey, come on now, I'm not that ugly am I? A simple 'no' would have been enough lady, jeez" the man said feeling rejected. "Cool snake! Can I see?" a tall man with dragon and serpent tattoos asked looking at Hebi. "Hey, are you from India?" another man in the crowd with spiked bracelets queried noting Koyomi's Seikon, the mark on her forehead. "What a cute little girl" a woman from the crowd complimented as she and others looked at Ebi and the little yellow bow in her hair with glee. "She's adorable. There's no way she's your daughter! You're way too young" another woman with black lipstick observed. "How are you you little cutie?" the same woman asked shaking Ebi's hand.

"Nyanya" Ebi answered.

"Awww" the women, their hair dyed various colors, sung collectively.

"Hey lady, take it easy. There's no need to be afraid" a man directed toward Koyomi who was slowly backing away in fear, her pet carrier clutched to her chest. "Wow, she's really freaked" the guy directed toward one of his friends.

"Alright people, that's enough!" Nina exclaims loudly forcing her way through to Koyomi. "Beat it, all of you. She's with me" Nina declares making the crowds back away struck by her imposing and assertive posture. "Koyomi, what are you doing here?" Nina asked as the small and curious crowd dispersed.

Koyomi composed herself relieved to have the crowd gone and in the distance, the men especially. "I'm sorry, I was headed for your club but just as I was approaching, a group of people noticed my pet and Ebi. What strange-looking people" Koyomi explained as the rocker group walked off.

"Well, you are a sight to see" Nina said humorously. "A young woman with a mark on her forehead, a pet python, and a small child who seems too old to be your daughter, you were bound to attract attention." Koyomi kept silent finding nothing to say. "Also, Japan is a pretty homogeneous country so they probably thought you were a foreigner and became curious... But then again, there do exist subcultures..." Nina said glancing back at the rocker crowd now in the distance. "But whatever, I'm rambling about something that's not important anymore. Let's head inside and talk" Nina said lifting Koyomi's pet carrier and leading Koyomi indoors into the club. Moments later, Koyomi stood before the front counter of the entrance room holding Ebi's hand, Nina examining Koyomi's pet snake inside the pet carrier. "So Koyomi, what were you doing carrying your pet snake around with you?"

Koyomi hesitated before answering "I was afraid the pervert was going to attack me. I took Hebi with me for protection."

"Hebi? So that's its name?"

"I named him recently after he saved me from Fukuyama" Koyomi responds.

"So it's a boy?"

"Yes. Kirie looked his gender up for me when I decided to name him."

"And this little cutie" Nina says turning to Ebi who's sitting on her desk and flipping through Nina's book. "Why'd she tag along?"

"I brought her along because I didn't want to leave Tomoka with such a big responsibility" Koyomi explains.

"You don't trust Tomoka?"

"Well, it's just that Yukinari and Kirie leave me in charge of Tomoka and Ebi when they go to school. I think" Koyomi continues with a hint of guilt, "Tomoka can take care of herself if she's left in the house but if something happens to Ebi, I'll be held responsible" Koyomi says knowing Tomoka would be shrieking in protest if she were there to hear such dialogue.

"Hmm" Nina gestures in acknowledgement. "So, enough chit-chat: what business does this young Space Travel Agent have with my club?"

"Well" Koyomi starts uneasily, "I-I've seen what Yukinari has done with hi-himself when he decided to join s-so... I..." Koyomi paused hoping Nina would get where she was going.

"So you'd like to join us? Is that it?" Nina inquires, Koyomi's unfinished request coming through. Koyomi nods weakly. At this, Nina approaches Koyomi and begins to pace around her. "Well, this is surprising. I never expected you to ever have any interest in my club. Koyomi, for what reason would you want to join us?"

"I-I'm sick and t-tired Miss Nina" Koyomi reveals nervously. "I'm tired of feeling f-fear whenever I get cl-close to men. I'm sick of ha-having to rely on everyone else to p-protect me! Most of all, I hate it when the s-sick blonde pervert shows up and a-always chases me! I'm fed up with it all a-and I want to be s-stronger!"

"So that's it is it?" Nina asks surprised.

"Y-yes..."

"Hmm, question is do you believe it's in you?" Nina questions standing behind Koyomi and grasping her shoulders firmly.

"I, I do" Koyomi answers hesitantly.

"Very well... I will take you under my wing but I will not go easy on you."

"No Miss Nina, I wouldn't want you to" Koyomi says feeling relieved that Nina had agreed. "Thank goodness" Koyomi thought to herself believing this decision would be a turning point for her. As glad as she was she failed to notice the viciously sadistic grin stretching across Nina's face.

-TRANSITION-

Back in the vicinity of Mizuno High, with classes done Yukinari found himself walking away from school toward the club but as he was crossing a street, he was spotted by Masashi walking in the same direction. "Yukinari!" Masashi calls approaching Yukinari. "What's up man?" he greeted.

"Oh hey Masashi" Yukinari greets back. "Headed for the club too?"

"Yeah, like usual. So you going alone?" Masashi asks.

"Yeah, Kirie's almost done with her two-week detention though. Thankfully."

"Two weeks? That's pretty hefty!" Masashi comments. "What did she do?"

"She attacked a guy for dumping a bucket of waste on me one day" Yukinari explains thinking back to when Kirie punched Shinichi. At that moment, he thought back to those days that seemed distant but really weren't. It made him briefly wonder whatever had become of Shinichi and the other people he had associated with.

"So she got detention for sticking up for you? What a girl!" Masashi complimented. "You know, you're really lucky to have met her."

"Yeah, I am" Yukinari agreed.

"And to think you almost lost her to Fukuyama" Masashi says. "There's a guy who is used to having any girl he wants. I mean he's got the looks and the money. And you took Kirie from him! Just think about it!"

"I didn't 'take' her. She broke up with him out of her own accord" Yukinari revealed. "And we ended up together after that."

"Well that's a compliment right there. She dropped a guy like Fukuyama and became your girl. You lucky dog you!" Masashi finished as they both arrived at the door to the UFC. Walking inside, they find a fellow club member behind the front counter.

"Oh, hey Gin!" Masashi greets the club member sporting shoulder-height silver hair. "Where's Miss Nina?"

"She's in the training room training a girl who came in today."

"Is that right?" Masashi responds.

"Yeah. The new girl asked specifically for Miss Nina's training. She seemed like such a sweet girl and she was turning heads when she came in: she was accompanied by a little girl and a large snake and she even had a marking on her forehead. Strangest and cutest sight I've ever seen!"

Yukinari did not hesitate. The description given by Gin sounded like it was describing Koyomi. He was afraid that if Miss Nina was training her, she was dragging Koyomi around with a leash as well much like she did to Yukinari! Miss Nina then may force weights on Koyomi's fragile arms! Poor Koyomi wouldn't be able to take it. He immediately proceeded toward the training room where he would come to find Koyomi doing punishing push-ups, ab-burning sit-ups, pumping iron as her biceps bulged ferociously, a headband worn around her head that read 'power' all the while Miss Nina barked orders at her, a leash held in one of her hands. Koyomi's body would be turned into a freakish mass of pure muscle ready to break the pervert Fukuyama in two if he even dared to show himself at the club... Or at least that's what Yukinari's fearful and overactive imagination thought. In reality, Koyomi was simply running laps around the training room and Nina observed all the while busying herself with entertaining Ebi. Koyomi was still a weak-looking girl opposite Yukinari's previous wild speculations.

"Miss Nina, what's going on?" Yukinari asked watching as Koyomi, dressed in the club uniform, continued jogging. Masashi joins them both silently, he too watching Koyomi.

"Koyomi came here intending to join the club. I agreed and at first I was going to get one of the boys to introduce her around but she insisted on my assistance" Nina explained. "She's got a phobia of men according to her. It makes sense considering her behavior earlier when she was mobbed by some 'rocker' clique. She seemed legitimately freaked by the men in the group."

"Really?" Yukinari mutters in disbelief.

"Yes really! She's here isn't she?" Nina returns as she hands a yen to Ebi to play with. Ebi simply stares at it not knowing what to do with it. "Moments ago, we were doing yoga and then after that a short meditation session." Yukinari stared on in amazement at Koyomi who was in surprisingly good shape. "She told me that she was a pan pon ping champion back in Seiren so she should already be in decent shape" Nina says as Yukinari breaks away from her and Masashi and approaches Koyomi.

"Hey Koyomi" Yukinari greets jogging alongside Koyomi who was slowing down from fatigue, "never thought I'd find you here."

"Yu-Yukinari!?" Koyomi exclaims taken by surprise. She immediately stops in her tracks, her breathing heavy, her hands on her knees.

"Decided to give the club a try Koyomi?" Yukinari asks.

"Y-yes I did..." Koyomi answers replenishing her oxygen.

"I don't get it though. What for? Are you hoping to get into shape? You're already a pretty slim girl" Yukinari said. Koyomi began nervously fidgeting with her ponytail as she replied.

"No, the thing is... Yukinari, I'm really grateful for all the times you, Kirie, and Seiichirou have helped me in the past whenever I was in need or being harassed by the blonde pervert but..." Yukinari looked at Koyomi not sure where she was going with this. Yukinari's gaze made Koyomi fidget with her ponytail more and look away. "I, I want to be able to help myself rather than relying on you guys all the time" she reveals to Yukunari's surprise. "I, I want to be stronger and deal with the pervert myself!" she says suddenly feeling a little encouraged. A moment of silence ensues between the two.

"Keh, hehehehe" Yukinari begins to chuckle. "Hehehahahaha" he continues.

"W-w-what's so f-funny!?" Koyomi demands blushing heavily. "S-stop!" she cries.

"I-I'm sorry Koyomi! Hahaha! It's just that you say all that as if you were a burden on myself and the others. Koyomi, we don't mind helping you at all!" Yukinari finishes.

"B-but I do!" Koyomi retorts. "I feel like I burden all of you with my problems!" Koyomi says in distressed.

"That's not true Koyomi!" Yukinari says firmly, his hands finding Koyomi's shoulders, his eyes finding hers. "You listen to me and you listen well: I am confident that I speak for myself and the others when I say that we don't mind helping you and we would never hesitate to protect you whenever you're in need! Kirie, Seiichirou, and I would go the distance for our friends and loved ones and you know it! Do you understand?"

"Yes" Koyomi answers swiftly, her body paralyzed as she realizes that Yukinari is holding her by her shoulders. Her cheeks were now blushing even more.

"Good" Yukinari says releasing his hold. "And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you" Yukinari apologizes referring to Koyomi's deeper shade of red.

"You see that Ebi?" a crouching Nina whispers to Ebi out of earshot, Ebi's face cheek-to-cheek to her own. She indicates Yukinari speaking to Koyomi and whispers "that guy's an oblivious idiot who doesn't realize the kind of effect he's having on poor Koyomi."

"Nyah?" Ebi sounds back not knowing what she was supposed to be looking at or what exactly Nina was saying.

"Lucky for you you're too young to be susceptible to his charm" Nina says caressing Ebi's hair.

"Hello Ebi, hello Miss Nina" Masashi greets with a friendly smile.

"Hey, didn't see you there" Nina answers as a crouching Masashi proceeds to shake Ebi's hand.

"Would you like to join our club too?" Masashi queried.

"Nyah nyah" Ebi answers.

"So I'm guessing Koyomi is a member here too now?" Masashi inquires.

"It seems so" Nina replies simply.

"The club continues to grow! Well Miss Nina, I'm off to start my daily routine" Masashi says proceeding toward the boys locker room.

"Sure" Nina returns and she then lifts Ebi into her arms and approaches both Yukinari and Koyomi.

"You know Koyomi, if you'd like, I can help you with your training" Yukinari offered.

"N-n-no! Miss Nina is t-teaching me!" Koyomi stutters back.

"That's right Yukinari, she's my student" Nina says. "And on that note Koyomi, enough rest. Get back to your jog!" Nina commands.

"Yes ma'am!" Koyomi replies and resumes her run.

"Nice try Yukinari but Koyomi might not be ready to be put under your tutelage" Nina said as Ebi's eyes took in the enormity of the hangar-like training room.

"Yeah but she's got to face her fear and seeing as how I'm a guy who she knows, I was thinking it would have been a good start" Yukinari said watching as Koyomi dodged some of the male club members on her jog around the training room.

"It's going to take some guts before Koyomi can ever hope to stand up to the likes of Lisa's older brother, Kazuharu I believe his name was?"

"Yes Miss Nina, his name is Kazuharu Fukuyama and he's notorious" Yukinari replied.

"And we will build up her confidence by making her confront her worst fear: Kazuharu Fukuyama himself!"

"I agre-Miss Nina! You can't be serious!" Yukinari exclaims alarmed.

"I'm dead serious" Nina answers, sadism in her voice and grin. "And you're going to help me do so!" Yukinari was about to continue protesting but he understood it was futile. Miss Nina had a look in her eye that she had made up her mind.

"F-fine Miss Nina, I will help" Yukinari surrendered. "Just promise me that Koyomi will not be hurt!"

"Of course not" Nina answers swiftly, almost offended that Yukinari would think that such a thing would be a possibility. "As a matter of fact, she will be taken good care of... Okay Koyomi, that's enough" Nina announces across the training room to an exhausted Koyomi.

"By the way Miss Nina, Koyomi gets meditation and yoga when I got dragged across the floor wearing a dog collar tied to a dog leash?" Yukinari asked.

"That's only because you could take the punishment. You needed it more than Koyomi did too! You were a beaten dog when you showed up here at the club."

"...Okay" Yukinari agreed.

"You were thinking of Koyomi in a leash and dog collar weren't you you sick bastard!?" Nina accused jokingly.

"No!" Yukinari denied as Koyomi approached Miss Nina.

"O-okay Miss Nina, what now?" Koyomi asked regaining her breath.

"That was very good Koyomi! You did better than Yukinari did when he started" Nina praised.

"I did?" Koyomi asks surprised.

"She did?" Yukinari repeats.

"Yep!" Nina says happily.

"S-so Miss Nina! What next!?" Koyomi asked eagerly. For some reason, she almost felt like she could take on Fukuyama right then and there and it filled her with delight. It would not have been the first time having bested Fukuyama during a game of ping pong in the past.

"For today, we are done here at the club. Yukinari will be helping you with the next part" Nina said draining Koyomi's fleeting determination.

"Am I? How so Miss Nina?" Yukinari posed.

"M-Miss Nina! I want 'you' to train me!" Koyomi protested.

"Relax Koyomi, he won't be training you, someone else will" Nina said to Koyomi and Yukinari's confusion. "Get yourself dressed Koyomi and I'll explain in the entrance room." Koyomi proceeded to the girls locker room as Nina, an Ebi in her arms, and Yukinari walked towards the entrance room.

"Lisa Fukuyama!?" Yukinari gasped reacting to Nina's revelation moments later.

"Yep! Lisa Fukuyama will be mentoring Koyomi next" Nina repeated.

"Miss Nina, what makes you think Lisa will agree to help Koyomi?"

"The fact that you, her 'soulmate', will be asking her for the favor" Nina explained.

"And what if she says no?" Yukinari asked.

"If she says no, use your charms to seduce her" Nina instructed without the slightest of hesitation.

"Miss Nina, I have a girlfriend! I can't be doing that!" Yukinari countered swiftly. "And since when did I have charms?"

"Okay, fine" Nina retreated. "I'll write a letter for her to read where I'll explain Koyomi's predicament" Nina said as she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and began scribbling away. "So you give her this letter and depending on her decision, we'll proceed from there."

"Okay... But why Lisa?"

"Because if there's someone who knows how to deal with the blonde pervert, it's her" Nina elaborated. "They are siblings after all. Lisa has experience dealing with her older brother and magic, two things I can't help Koyomi with" Nina explains finishing her letter to Lisa and putting it into an envelope. She then wrote 'For Lisa's eyes only' on the envelope.

"Well... If you say so Miss Nina" Yukinari said feeling somewhat convinced.

"Also, Koyomi isn't as weak as she looks though I feel she's more of a brain than a brawn. She doesn't need training so much as she needs confidence... And a little technology!"

"Technology?" Yukinari asked.

"Yes!" Nina declared pulling a black metallic rod out from under the front counter. The rod had a grip and round guard on one end and two silver electrodes at the tip of the other end thus in a way it resembled a short sword. Embedded in the grip there existed a slider meant to be slid by the thumb. On the opposite side of the grip a trigger protruded out.

"What is that?" Yukinari asks just as a crackle of electricity bursts out between the two prongs making Ebi jump in fright.

"A stun baton. It's a gift for Koyomi" Nina says just as Koyomi was returning from the lockers. "Good timing Koyomi. Here, this is for you!"

"Miss Nina, what is this?" Koyomi asks taking the baton from Nina.

"Give it a try: shift and hold the slide by your thumb and then pull the trigger" Nina instructs.

"Kyaaaahh!" Koyomi screams taken by surprise, the sound of electricity snapping between the electrodes at the tip of the rod. "What just happened!?"

"Electricity" answered Miss Nina. "Use it to stun the pervert the next time he tries anything!" Koyomi said nothing and simply examined the weapon in her hand. "And Koyomi, Yukinari will be escorting you to the Fukuyama Estate where Lisa Fukuyama will be teaching you further!"

"Lisa Fukuyama?" Koyomi repeated warily. "D-does that mean I have to go to the perv's mansion!?"

"Yes, that's right. Are you scared Koyomi?" Koyomi swallowed hard but refused to back down to which Yukinari couldn't help but feel proud for her.

"N-no!" Koyomi said firmly. "I-I have to do this. Right Miss Nina?"

"Yes. You have to confront your fears if you hope to overcome them." Yukinari and Koyomi, after saying their goodbyes and after Yukinari accepted Nina's letter, set off back home toward the Sasaki residence. "So Koyomi, what did you think?" Yukinari asks helping Koyomi with Hebi's pet carrier. Ebi was keeping up holding Koyomi's hand.

"I don't know" Koyomi replies wearing a look of deep worry.

"Are you worried about Miss Nina's instructions?"

"Yes" Koyomi admits. "The pervert lives there! I don't know if I have it in me to go!"

"Relax Koyomi, I'm going with you so don't worry."

"Th-thank you..." Koyomi said softly.

"Of course. You should feel pride that you're taking your fears head-on like this!" Yukinari said with a smile to which Koyomi blushed slightly. "And you should relax Koyomi: you have Hebi, the stun baton, and you have me to accompany you there!"

As they walked on, Yukinari leading the way, Koyomi looked at the baton in her hand. She wondered if the pervert were to show up, would meer electricity be enough to drive him away? Another thing that scared her about Fukuyama was his seemingly supernatural ability to withstand and recover from any amount of punishment. Kirie's punches, kicks, and various other grappling and tackling maneuvers almost always seemed to only have temporary effect: only a few moments later after Kirie's brutal punishments and Fukuyama would get back up to resume his lecherous agenda. If Yukinari, Seiichirou, and Kirie had trouble dealing with the blonde menace, what hope did Koyomi have of ever learning to deal with him and his tyranny? Perhaps Lisa's sister had the answer? Koyomi could only hope. It was then she realized she was walking almost shoulder-to-shoulder with Yukinari, something that made her flinch pink-faced and distance herself from him again. Yukinari noticed none of this as he lead the way.

"You know Koyomi, when I started training with Miss Nina, she dragged me around the training room on a dog leash! You're lucky she only had you do yoga!"

"I-is that so?" Koyomi said looking away.

"Yeah! Good times!... Well, not really... Here we are" Yukinari announces.

"We are?" Koyomi asked surprised at how fast they had gotten there. Turning her head up, she realized they were standing before the tall front gates of the Fukuyama Estate and behind these gates stood two maids guarding the entrance. The maids were equipped with headsets and shoulder bags which Yukinari suspected were meant to conceal semi-automatic MP5s which all the other maids guarding the grounds were equipped with. From the looks of things, following Yukinari's intrusion into the grounds not too long ago, security had been stepped up.

"State your business" one of the maids, one with long blue hair, demanded heavily.

"We're here to see Lisa Fukuyama" Yukinari answered.

"Name?" the other maid with short, dark-purple hair asked.

"Yukinari Sasaki." There was a pause during which the maids read over a clipboard. The clipboard contained a list of people who were welcome to the Fukuyama Estate.

"Okay, you check out. And her?" the maid asked again looking over at Koyomi.

"Koyomi Hare Nanaka" Koyomi spoke up. Again the maids looked over the clipboard.

"She checks out too" the maid holding the clipboard said. "And we assume that is your pet... But what of the child?" the maid inquired referring to Ebi. "Are you two her parents? You two seem way too young."

"No, she's..." Yukinari thought for a moment. "She's a friend's niece" he lied.

"I see... She's adorable!" the maid with the purple hair complimented. "Very well, you may pass." With that, the gates were opened and Yukinari walked through.

"Let's go Koyomi. Koyomi, are you okay?" Yukinari asked when he saw Koyomi's face had been overtaken by a shade of red.

"N-n-n-n-nothing! I, I-I'm sorry!" Koyomi squeaked as she hurriedly walked through the gates.

-TRANSITION-

"Yes father, I understand" Lisa said feeling drained as she sat at one end of a long table, her assistants standing at attention at her sides. Several people in suits and ties sat along the sides of said table who worked for her parents. At the far end of the table was situated a television that broadcasted Lisa's father, an impeccably dressed tall man all the way from somewhere in mainland Asia.

"Your older brother has been telling me of some of your unwarranted ventures to which your assistants played a role" Lisa's father said on-screen. "Your assistants are to be bodyguards, not your personal army for kidnappings and espionage! They are hired to ensure your safety. Do I make myself clear young lady?"

"Yes father" Lisa answered mechanically.

"Very good... You may go now." Lisa exited the room eagerly followed by her assistants, Hayate and Kosame.

"Such brutal and long meetings! That took forever!" Lisa complained.

"Yes, this one was particularly long-winded" Hayate agreed.

"Worst part is we're called in during one of father's meetings only to listen to the meeting's tedious business banter" Lisa complained further. "Quarterly profit this, production quota that!... I swear my brother's going to get it, one way or another for unleashing this on me!"

"Am I now?" Fukuyama's voice purred a distance away in the same hallway.

"Yes, that's right!" Lisa exclaimed. "Why don't you just butt out and leave my soulmate and I be?"

"You speak as if you had your 'soulmate' by your side at this very moment" Fukuyama muttered.

"Just go away" Lisa says feeling too tired to argue. She parts Kazuharu's presence, her assistants disappearing into thin air as they often did. Fukuyama is left standing alone in the hall, his nose turned up sniffing the air.

"This... smell... Can it be?... Koyomi?... Ebi?..." he ponders tasting the air and he too departing the hall.

-TRANSITION-

Lisa made her way back to her room where she had been hard at work on a potion. Just as she was about to enter her room, she is intercepted. "A million pardons Mistress Lisa but you have a visitor" a maid notifies her.

"My soulmate Yukinari is here to see me!? He wants to confess his undying love for me!? He's dumped Kirie realizing his grave error!?" Lisa asked amid fantasizing.

"Uh" the maid is taken by surprise. She had not even mentioned who the visitor was nor had any idea what Lisa was going on about. "Y-yes, I do believe he identified himself with that name."

"Well? What are you waiting for? Take me to him this instant!" Lisa demands excitedly. The maid leads her towards the entrance room where Yukinari is standing looking at the expensive decor of the room. An uneasy Koyomi and a bored Ebi are both seated on a sofa and Hebi is in his carrier flicking his tongue patiently. A side pocket on the carrier contained Koyomi's stun baton. As Lisa enters, all she could see was Yukinari. "Yukinari!" Lisa exclaims tackling the subject of her obsession.

"L-Lisa, hello" Yukinari greets nervously. Though he liked Lisa who was currently pressing up against him, he didn't feel comfortable being embraced by her when he was currently in a relationship.

"So? Have you come to make love to me next?" Lisa asked almost making Koyomi fall off of her seat.

"Wha-what!? N-no!" Yukinari objected quickly, Lisa's question shocking him. But then again, this was Lisa. "Actually, Koyomi came here to see you!"

"Koyomi?" Lisa said turning her head toward Koyomi. "Oh, hello Koyomi. Didn't see you there. Or Ebi. Or... A snake?... What's going on?"

"Well, she's here because she needs your help" Yukinari said pulling out Nina's letter.

"Lisa, I went to the UFC to get Miss Nina's help and she told me to come seeking your help" Koyomi explained.

"With what exactly?" Lisa asks.

"Your older brother" Yukinari contributed. He presented the letter Miss Nina had prepared earlier in the day to Lisa who proceeded to opening it up and reading it.

"...Hmm, I see..." Lisa whispered to herself, her face concealed behind the letter. "Well then Koyomi, I shall teach you!"

"Really?" Koyomi queried feeling relieved. "Thank goodness."

"But only for one day!" Lisa said. "And you must refer to me as Mistress Lisa!" Lisa added stroking her ego.

"Only one day?" Koyomi asked feeling uncertain.

"I am a busy witch but I will do this one favor for Miss Nina! She helped my soulmate and thus I shall help her in return" Lisa said. Not only would she be able to return the favor, she could also get back at her older brother for all of his interfering by teaching Koyomi a thing or two.

"Will that be enough?" Yukinari asked.

"It'll be more than enough!" Lisa boasted proudly. "You underestimate the abilities of this witch in love!" Lisa said tackling Yukinari again. "Oh Yukinari, I don't care if you've cheated on me anymore! No matter how hard I try, I can't stay mad at you! Or keep you out of my mind! Hold me tightly you handsome devil and kiss me!" Lisa said pursing her lips, her arms wrapped around him.

"I never cheated on you!" Yukinari countered since he never considered himself her boyfriend. Still, he always feels guilty whenever the subject comes up. "L-listen Koyomi, Kirie's almost done with detention so I'll be going now! I'll take Ebi off of your hands!" Yukinari said breaking away from Lisa, lifting Ebi up into his arms and walking out.

"Come back soon my love!" Lisa sung amorously. As Yukinari walked off, Lisa sighed longingly. "...Love they say is the greatest of all spells" Lisa directed at no one in particular as she watched Yukinari walking out through the front gates. "...I'll make that ass mine one day!... Oh! I-I'm sorry Koyomi, I forgot you were there again!"

"I'm not that insignificant am I?" Koyomi wondered depressed.

"Come with me" Lisa commanded. Moments later, Lisa welcomed Koyomi into her room. Lisa's room was not a complicated room with an office desk near the wall opposite the entrance. The desk sat in front of what looked like an empty, red altar with currently extinguished candles and what looked like blue strands of hair. Along the walls of the room were bookcases lined with not only books but also jars and a few crystal balls. "So" Lisa began now sitting at the desk in her room, "according to Miss Nina's letter, she wants me to teach you some magic to help you deal with a male phobia... Is that right?"

"Yes" Koyomi answered seated before Lisa's desk. Her pet Hebi sat underneath her seat snug in the pet carrier.

"Learning magic takes years of study, practice, trial and error, sweat and toil... Lucky for you, what I'll be teaching you is how to deal with my brother as Miss Nina instructed! And we'll start with an ancient yet powerful piece of witchcraft that can trace its very foundations from the very beginning of humanity itself! Used by witches the world-over against the tyranny of men!"

"Really?" Koyomi muttered eagerly awaiting Lisa's instruction. "What, what is it!?" Koyomi asks leaning forward. Lisa paused before continuing.

"...Hitting a man right between the legs!" A moment of silence.

"...What?" Koyomi said confused. "...I don't get it..."

"It-it was a joke Koyomi!..." Koyomi only looked back at Lisa confused, the idea of a weak point on men both confounding and fascinating her. "I can see you're serious... You mean you don't know about hitting guys between their legs?"

"No!" Koyomi answered feeling alarmed.

"Oh, that's right! There are very few men in Seiren" Lisa recalled. "...Well at the very least now you know where to kick a man if he gets too close."

"Is that really magic?" Koyomi asked. "That's violence."

"Well yes, I admit that it's not magic but it does work like a char-never mind! I'm not even going to try that one" Lisa said stopping herself after reading Koyomi's expression which simply stared back at Lisa uneasily. "I've read the crowd and so we're moving on to the next lesson" Lisa said standing up and proceeding to one of the bookcases in the room and pulling a book out entitled 'Simple Spells and Enchantments for the Learning Witch'. "I'll teach you some basic stuff and that should be enough to allow you to deal with my brother as per Miss Nina's request." Lisa flipped through a few pages and spoke: "my brother takes beauty naps on a daily basis so he should be especially susceptible to this spell! Or powder, rather!" Lisa said pulling out a small draw-string bag from her desk.

"Powder?"

"Yes, powder!" Lisa said pinching an amount of said powder, dark blue in color, from the bag and blowing it into Koyomi's face. Immediately, Koyomi's legs give way and her eyelids drop like lead. "Sleeping powder" Lisa added as she caught Koyomi's fading body. "Wow, it worked rather well!" Lisa thought as she pulled out her skull staff and waved it over Koyomi's body. Koyomi, kneeling, opens her eyes to find Lisa holding her up. "So I guess you're a well-rested person?" Lisa asked.

"Wh-what just happened?" Koyomi asked sitting up on her own.

"Sleeping powder" Lisa repeated presenting Koyomi with the drawstring bag. "It works especially well on people who sleep relatively long hours... So it will work on sleeping beauties like my older brother. As a matter of fact, we put the stuff into the darts we use to handle my brother!" Lisa scanned the book in her hand further as Koyomi handled the bag of sleeping powder. "Also, although breathing it in guarantees results, inhalation is not necessary: the powder can be absored by the skin so when handling it, be sure to handle it with your fingertips which are far enough from your brain to have little to no effect. Speaking of which, aim for the face which is closest to the brain, the organ the powder works on. And it's best that wind currents are blowing toward your target, not toward yourself."

"So many rules" Koyomi muttered holding the little bag of powder. "It seems so impractical."

"It's in the book" Lisa responded. "Though you may be right about it being difficult to use but considering you have almost no experience at using magic, we have very little options... You could have done so much more with that sleeping powder if you were more magically-inclined" Lisa says taking another pinch and flinging it at the wall. The powder zips across the room in a straight line and upon impact with the wall explodes into a small cloud of smoke and crackling sparks.

"Oh my!" Koyomi exclaims.

"But we can work on that some other time... For now, let me look a littler further and we should be able to find you something!" Lisa flips through a few more pages and halts at a page. "Ahh, now this one seems promising!" Lisa said running her finger across a page in the book. "Come with me! I'm certain I have some in my archival room!" Lisa commands walking briskly out of her room.

"Have some what? Wait! Please don't leave me here alone!" Koyomi wailed giving chase. She follows Lisa out into the hallway, the two proceed along it and make a right where Lisa and Koyomi halt finding a seemingly unconscious Fukuyama face-down, his clothes tattered and burnt, his hair singed in places. Long, thick carpenter nails jutted out from various body parts and one of his legs seemed broken in a few places. From the looks of things, Fukuyama had been crawling toward Lisa's room for a time before giving up.

"Oh! Hello big brother!" Lisa greeted as Koyomi shrieked from the sight, not from Fukuyama's injuries but the fact that he had finally shown up. "Wow, you're pretty beat up! But hey, you got through four of my ten curses this time so good for you! Let us continue Koyomi" Lisa said walking past Fukuyama. Koyomi followed, her back to the wall trying her very best to keep her distance from Fukuyama's body on the floor.

"Hhoooaaoohh" Fukuyama lets out a long and low, pained groan which only urges Koyomi's legs to catch up to Lisa. She rejoins Lisa who had entered a room populated with tall shelves that housed more books and bundles of paper, scrolls, staffs, wands, cauldrons, wooden chests large and small, and a number of sealed glass bottles.

"Lisa, Fukuyama is out there!" Koyomi said fearfully and moving quickly to shut the door to the room. "What if he gets in here!?"

"Relax, the doorway's enchanted so he'll have a tough time getting in... And it's Mistress Lisa!" Lisa corrected.

"Sorry" Koyomi apologized.

"Anyways..." It was to a particular set of bottles that Lisa then turned her attention towards: a set of six square glass bottles that contained what looked like black ink. "Here they are" Lisa said reaching to grab one of them.

"What is that?" Koyomi asked still weary of Fukuyama who was collapsed out in the hall not too far away.

"Some call it burning ink and some call it pepper palms! Others call it witch's palmistry! And others still, referring to its secondary tracing qualities, have come to call it damsel's trail! Extend your hands, palms up!" Lisa said opening one of the bottles. Koyomi does so but not without hesitating at first. With a dropper, she applies small quantities of burning ink to both her palms. Upon contact, the black paint turns red and drains into the lines on Koyomi's palms.

"Kyaaaahh! What's going on!? What's going on!?" Koyomi exclaimed shaking her palms. "Get it off! Get it out!"

"Relax Koyomi, Relax!" Lisa says seizing Koyomi's flailing hands which calms Koyomi down. "This is for the sake of fending off my brother! Trust me! You will not regret this."

"I-I'm sorry... I just wasn't expecting it to do that... So now what?" Koyomi asks looking at her palms which were free of any indication that a colored substance had seeped into them.

"If my brother manages to get his grubby hands on you again, just press your hands to him, slap him if you wish. He'll be marked and burned" Lisa said with her face to her book.

"Marked and burned?" Koyomi asked looking at her hands again. She wanted to know what that looked like but it also meant allowing Fukuyama to get close enough so she put that idea aside for the time being.

"Hmm, this one will be the last one I teach you and it just might be right for you. If I recall correctly, Tomoka mentioned you were really good at a Seiren game called pan pon ping. I'm guessing this means your reflexes are nothing to scoff at."

"Yes, I was good at it but I don't understand where you're going with this" Koyomi said.

"Come with me! Back to my room!" Lisa said walking out again. Koyomi quickly followed only to be reminded of Kazuharu Fukuyama still lying on the hallway floor but now she knew Fukuyama was not unconscious. His body had managed to turn 180 degrees and was now oriented toward the archival room Lisa and Koyomi had exited. "Hello again big brother. I see you have yet to give up your pursuit of Koyomi." Fukuyama simply lied there face-down quietly. In addition to his previous injuries, ice was now starting to form on Fukuyama's body. "You've taken my bodyguards and interfered with my love life so consider this just deserts" Lisa hissed kneeling down closer to Fukuyama. "Well, good luck catching Koyomi and try not to freeze all the way over. You survived the first four curses after all. Come Koyomi!" Lisa said moving on.

"Please wait for me!" Koyomi pleaded as she followed Lisa and kept her distance from Fukuyama. "Kyaaahh!" Koyomi screamed after Fukuyama's palm twitched. "Noo!"

"Calm down!" Lisa demanded as she was joined by Koyomi. "Jeez Koyomi, toughen up! My brother can hardly move!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Koyomi apologizes as she and Lisa re-enter Lisa's room. Back inside, Lisa moves towards her desk and Koyomi closes the door making sure to lock it. "Is this door enchanted too?" Koyomi asked anxiously.

"Yes, it is. And I'm in here too so you have nothing to worry about" Lisa said holding what looked like ping pong paddles. They certainly looked like ping pong paddles, one side with red rubber, the other side with black rubber. "Now let's see in which one of these it's in" Lisa said plunging her forearm into the black side of each of the paddles.

"M-Mistress Lisa, where did your arm go!?" Koyomi exclaims alarmed as she watches Lisa's forearm disappear into the paddle.

"Where do you mean where did it go? It's right here" Lisa said pulling her forearm out from the paddle's dark side.

"B-but how?" Koyomi breathed in disbelief.

"Portals" Lisa said with one forearm back inside one of the paddles. "Ah, here it is!" she declared pulling out a black solid ball about the size of a regular ping pong ball. "Earth has ping pong, Seiren has pan pon ping. And us witches have our own take of the game! We call it telepong!"

"Telepong?" Koyomi muttered as she was handed a paddle which didn't seem any different from a regular paddle. One side of it was covered with red rubber and the other side was black but not the color black, it was just black like the black one sees when they stare down a pitch-black tunnel or bottomless pit devoid of light, something that unnerved Koyomi. Without warning, the ball that Lisa had pulled seemingly out of thin air flew out from the black side of Koyomi's paddle almost hitting Koyomi in the forehead. "Aaaa!" Koyomi shouts, her reflexes worthy of a pan pon ping champion had jerked her face out of the way. The ball flies onward hitting the wall near the ceiling and then rebounding flying back down not in accordance with the laws of momentum but rather as if taking aim at Lisa who catches it with one hand.

"Telepong" Lisa begins to explain. "And this game is played with what witches call 'telepaddles' such as the ones you and I are holding. Hold it with the black side face-up and please don't freak out" Lisa commands. When Koyomi does so, Lisa drops the ball into the black side of her telepaddle and the ball immediately flies out from Koyomi's own. It goes straight up and then falls back down toward Koyomi's telepaddle, the black ball seemingly merging with the black side of the telepaddle like the merging of two shadows. As it does so the ball flies up and out of Lisa's telepaddle again. Back and forth it teleported between the two flying up and falling down between them until Lisa catches the ball during a descent. Koyomi is left almost speechless.

"W-wow!" Koyomi said wide-eyed.

"They're called telepaddles for a reason. And to store away the ball, you simply put the ball in while holding it in your hand otherwise it will continue teleporting" Lisa explained. "Care to play a quick game?" Lisa asked.

"But I don't even know the rules" Koyomi objected. "And how is this supposed to help me?"

"It's not that complicated though we can't play it in my room. There are rooms in this mansion more fit for playing the game so let us proceed to one of them. I'll explain the game on the way there" Lisa suggested lifting Koyomi's pet carrier and taking it with her. "As for how it's supposed to help you, you will see later" Lisa said and then lead the way out. Koyomi wastes no time in keeping up not wanting to be left alone when inside the Fukuyama estate. Out in the hallway as Lisa leads the way, Koyomi looks back to find Fukuyama still collapsed, what resembled houseplants now growing out of his body atop his other afflictions. He now looked as if he were transforming into something completely different from a person. Regardless, he had inched his way still further just around the corner from Lisa's room. The sight only urged Koyomi's legs forward to grow the distance between herself and the blonde pervert. "The ball in telepong has an affinity for the players as evidenced by the way it bounces off of surfaces. It seeks to hit any player nearby and the telepaddle is meant for players to be able to deflect the ball and aim it at the other player or players. The player with the least amount of hits wins. That's the game in a nutshell. The fact that the ball can reach some extreme speeds makes the game the ultimate test of reflexes!" Lisa and Koyomi arrive at a large and spacious room which was completely devoid of any furniture or any thing else aside from the paint that coated the walls. It had three solid walls, the fourth being a large glass wall that looked in, a wooden floor, and a ceiling. "This room was meant for playing frontenis which is a form of tennis but that's beside the point. My assistants and I often play here when we have a little spare time! Also, father put this in to help keep me in shape!"

"I, I see... So what's the black side for again?" Koyomi asked indicating her telepaddle.

"That's the portal side. As you can see, it has a black portal that can teleport the ball to any of the other black portals on any of the other telepaddles currently in a game. Adds an extra element of surprise to the game and if you swing it at an incoming ball, it'll fly out another telepaddle sped up both by its speed and the speed of the telepaddle swing! The ball can achieve some incredible speeds this way! But enough of the technicals, shall we start aforementioned quick game?" Lisa asked holding up her telepaddle.

"Yes, okay" Koyomi agreed, a telepaddle in her own hand.

"Then let us proceed" Lisa said opening a glass door leading into the frontenis room. Koyomi walks in looking around: no sign of Fukuyama was a welcome sight for one and a round of a new game called telepong appealed to the pan pon ping champion in her.

"Oh big brother! Care to play a game against Koyomi?" Lisa shouted in the direction of the almost-lifeless body several meters away. At once, Koyomi's heart sinks, a cold sweat visits her and chills crawl up her spine. The body formerly known as Fukuyama springs to life and sprints to Lisa's location.

"Of course!" Fukuyama answered excited, his body miraculously free of any blemish or curse, the work of Fukuyama's freakish ability to recover from seemingly anything.

"M-Mistress L-Lisa! What are you doing!?" Koyomi thought urgently too frightened to speak.

"Here you go big brother!" Lisa said handing over her telepaddle and the ball to Fukuyama. "Get in there and try your luck!"

"Sure will!" Fukuyama answered entering the room with Koyomi, his eyes assaulting Koyomi as the transparent door was closed and locked audibly. "Well well! Nice to see you again Koyomi!" Fukuyama says softly, his eyes devouring her frightened figure. Fukuyama takes a step forward, Koyomi takes two trembling steps back.

"S-stay away" Koyomi breathed walking backward fearfully. "Stay away!"

"Where are you going Koyomi?" Fukuyama asked keeping up with Koyomi. "We have a game of-" Fukuyama pauses to take a disinterested glance at the telepaddle in his hand, "who cares!?" he says shrugging dramatically. "The fact of the matter is I need someone to play against and you're the other person with a paddle!" Fukuyama tosses the ball upward and as it falls back down, taps it lightly with the red side of the telepaddle. The ball floats forward and simply bounces harmlessly towards Koyomi and rolls away behind her. "Oops! Looks like Iiii loooose!" Fukuyama sings, his hands up in the air. "Now, let me reward the winner... with my body!" he exclaims opening his arms, the top of his uniform shredding away into nothing revealing his bare chest. He crept towards Koyomi who he expected to start running and the fact that there was nowhere to run in the frontenis room encouraged him greatly. He followed as she backed away terrified until her back touched the wall.

"S-stay away" Koyomi whimpered again. "Stay away!" She had nowhere to run but through Fukuyama himself. She collapses near the wall, tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't do this! Yukinari! Kirie! Seiichirou! Anyone, please help!" she plead quietly rolled up into a ball.

"Koyomiii" Fukuyama sung completely oblivious to Koyomi's anguish.

"Koyomi, fight back!" Lisa shouted now inside the room. "You've got to fight back! You've done it before!" Lisa continued recalling the ping pong match several months ago but to no avail. Perhaps the fact that no ping pong table nor Lisa separated the two had caused Koyomi to break down not making a sound, not making a move to fight back against an encroaching Fukuyama. "Koyomi, you're failing" Lisa thought to herself as she watched the frightened Seiren girl curled up.

"Kyahahahahaha!" Fukuyama cackled perversely. Not able to take much else, Lisa finally raises her skull staff intending to halt her brother from getting any closer to Koyomi but she stops herself at the last second.

"No" Koyomi said, the telepong ball in her hand after she had found it at her feet. "No! Nooo!" she shouted tossing the ball up and with one of her best serves sends the ball flying forward fast and hard toward Fukuyama hitting him directly between the eyes and then flying back toward Koyomi.

"Gah!" Fukuyama shouted in pain grasping at his face but he was not allowed time to recover. Koyomi strikes the returning ball in defiance.

"No!" she shouted again as the ball hit Fukuyama's ribs. "No!" she repeated, the ball striking Fukuyama's stomach. Again she hit the returning ball, again it striking Fukuyama on the thigh, the knee, an arm and again a rib. Back and forth the ball flew as Koyomi used Fukuyama as target practice who by now was using his hands to try to catch the ball and his arms and legs to shield the softer parts of his body.

"Stop, stop!" Fukuyama shouted dropping his telepaddle between his feet, black side face-up. "Stop! I surrender!"

"Nooo!" Koyomi answered having long learned to not trust the blonde pervert. Her fear turned to anger, she swung hard and fast against the returning ball with the black side of her telepaddle as if by instinct. The ball vanishes into her telepaddle only to burst with an explosive force out the other telepaddle underneath Fukuyama... It happened almost as if by slow-motion. Lisa had seen it, Koyomi had seen it, Fukuyama had felt it. The ball had flown straight up hitting Fukuyama right between the legs and then bounced off toward Koyomi who simply ignored it as it hit her shoulder before bouncing off and away. She watched Fukuyama who simply stood there petrified like a stone statue, his face locked in anguish. He was making no sound, no body part of his moving in the least, his face frozen in time expressing pure, raw pain. "I, I hit him... In that place!.." she thought.

"Umm, big brother?" Lisa said waving her hand in front of Fukuyama's face. Fukuyama remained frozen in place. "Looks like you got him pretty good Koyomi!" Lisa observed. Koyomi said nothing, she too mortified by what she had just done. "Koyomi? Are you okay?" Lisa asked approaching Koyomi who had collapsed on the floor feeling exhausted.

"I, I'm okay" Koyomi confirmed.

"You freaked out there for a moment" Lisa commented. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm sorry, I was all on my own! My phobia took over and I panicked!" Koyomi excused.

"Don't apologize! In fact, congratulations! You stood up for yourself and beat my brother on your own!" Koyomi says nothing still feeling overwhelmed by the ordeal. "And I agree with Miss Nina! What you lacked was confidence above all else!" Lisa said. "That was the point of this game: to imbue you with some confidence by showing you that you could help yourself when you had no other choice! It was in Miss Nina's letter after all" For whatever reason however, Koyomi didn't feel convinced. "Come on, get up! We're done for the day" Lisa said offering a hand. Koyomi receives it and is pulled back up to her feet.

"So, so is he going to start moving?" Koyomi asks fearfully referring to the statue that was Fukuyama.

"You know my brother! No matter how much punishment you dole out to him, he always comes back for more... But I don't think for a while" Lisa said looking at her petrified older brother again. She then escorted Koyomi out of the frontenis room and with Hebi in hand, made her way to her own room. Koyomi kept up urgently and just before entering, she could have sworn she had heard a bloody shriek of pain from somewhere in the mansion though she suspected it was simply her imagination. Inside, Lisa sat at her desk with a piece of paper in front of her scribbling away. After finishing, she puts the letter into a black envelope and commands "Koyomi, this letter is for Miss Nina. It explains what I've taught you and makes clear my demands. Can I trust you to deliver it to Miss Nina?"

"Yes, of course" Koyomi answers receiving the letter which read 'For Miss Nina's eyes only'.

"And a few more things for you Koyomi" Lisa said pulling out sleeping powder, a batch of burning ink, and two telepaddles with a telepaddle ball. She also pulled out a copy of 'Simple Spells and Enchantments for the Learning Witch' and placed them all into a paper bag. "Take these in remembrance of your victory today and make good use of them!"

"Thank you so much Lisa!" Koyomi said gratefully.

"Mistress Lisa" Lisa corrected.

"Right.. Sorry."

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari, Ebi riding his shoulders, and Kirie had come to the Fukuyama Estate after Lisa had called Yukinari's cell. Waiting at the front gates, they are met by Koyomi and Lisa and after Lisa had handed Miss Nina's letter over to Koyomi and tossed Kirie a dirty look, they set off home. As they did so, Kirie read the letter Miss Nina had written to Lisa, the other hand helping Koyomi with the pet carrier.

"Dear Lisa: I write this letter to ask of you a favor. Earlier today Koyomi showed up at my club seeking my help. She asked for help against your older brother so I thought as family you would be more fit at teaching her how to deal with your brother than I. I've seen you use magic before so I ask you to teach poor Koyomi a thing or two! And, under your supervision, be sure to have her confront Fukuyama one-on-one and defeat him herself. This is important to help Koyomi boost her low confidence, something that I believe to be at the root of her phobia. Do this and I can promise you almost anything just be sure to respond afterward on how Koyomi did. Sincerely, Nina" Kirie finished reading. "So did Lisa pit you against Fukuyama!?" Kirie asked shocked.

"Yes" Koyomi answered walking behind the others and looking into the paper bag Lisa had handed her.

"So what happened?" Yukinari asked.

"Lisa threw me and Fukuyama into a room one-on-one... Anyways, it's a long story" Koyomi answered feeling tired. "Let's just get home and then I'll explain" Koyomi said exhaling.

"Throwing Koyomi into a room with Fukuyama? That seems a bit extreme!" Kirie commented.

"It sounds like something Miss Nina would do" Yukinari said humorously. "She threw me into a fight against someone else at the club and that's how I learned to overcome my fear of pain, put my arms up in defiance and confront that very pain! That fear! I'd say it was for the best in the end." At Yukinari's words, Koyomi feels a little more strength filling her. Just like Yukinari, she too was put up against her fear and bested Fukuyama on her own. Suddenly, the prospect of Fukuyama showing up again didn't cause as much anxiety as it did before. Immediately, she wanted to tell Yukinari all about this sudden surge of bravery she was feeling and compare her story to his. She was about to speak only to be stopped at the sight of Yukinari and Kirie walking so closely together.

"Tough love I guess" Kirie said holding the stun baton Nina had given Koyomi and activating it.

"Nyah! Nyah!" Ebi said extending her hands out to the thing with the pretty light Kirie was holding.

"No Ebi, that's not a toy" Yukinari warned pulling her away from the stun baton.

"Here you go Koyomi" Kirie said handing the item back. "Put it to good use if Fukuyama or anyone else tries anything funny."

"Yes Kirie, I will" Koyomi said accepting the weapon of self-defense back. As they walked on, Koyomi let out a heavy sigh as she realized that Fukuyama was no longer the only obstacle before her. It seemed to her that her own feelings might become another one in the future. She hoped it would not be so but then she recalled what Lisa had said before:

"...Love they say is the greatest of all spells."

Author commentary: Phew! What a work out! Okay, just wanting to see a show of hands, how many here are enjoying the episodic content I'm putting out? I'd like to know because I want people to enjoy my writing above all else and I have the next arc ready for production... Just wanted to know and please leave a comment and such and like always, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR YOUR PATIENCE! 


	27. Chapter 27

13,900 words... 13,900 words... I feel dizzy!

Season 3 Episode 51: Bravo School Battle!

"C'mon... C'mon!" Kirie in a Mizuno Mavericks jersey demanded in a growing tone. She sat in front of the living room television on an evening watching a baseball game between the Mizuno Mavericks and the Tokyo Gigantes. Tomoka and Ebi sat nearby finishing the dinner Kirie had prepared some time ago. "This is the legendary Gigantes we're talking about here! You can win if you can just hit this one out of the park! Hit this one out!" she begged loudly.

"Strike one!" the umpire on the television announced.

"Shigeru, what the hell is up with you!?" Kirie growled at the game. "Your team has two outs and this is the last inning! You can't fail them now!" she urgently pressed as Yukinari rejoined her from his room.

"The last inning huh?" he asked sitting right beside her.

"Yes, the last one and the Mavericks are behind seven to eight" Kirie said with a heavy worry in her voice. "There's a Maverick on second base so if Shigeru could just hit this one out, he'll win this for the Mavericks for sure! It would be such an incredible upset too!"

"So you think he can do it?"

"I don't know.. He's had incredible games before and he's been doing well enough 'til now. But the pitcher he's up against has a cannon for an arm!.. This is almost unbearable!" Kirie said with nervous jitters.

"Strike two!"

"You should just toss the bat at the pitch with a swing like that!" Kirie snapped angrily rubbing her hair in frustration. "Maybe then you'd hit it!"

"Why doesn't he then?" Tomoka asks in response to Kirie's reaction.

"Kirie was joking Tomoka" Yukinari answered as Kirie buried her face in her hands.

"It, it all comes down to this" Kirie said raising her head. "Okay, let's get this over with" she says, eyes focused. The pitcher rotates the baseball in his hand and stares Shigeru down. Shigeru simply tightens the grip on his bat in defiance. The pitcher draws his hands to his chest and Kirie immediately recognizes the posture. "Oh no! Not that pitch! I can't look!" Kirie says burying her head into Yukinari's chest. "I can't look!"

"What pitch Kirie?" Yukinari questions but before she could answer, the Tokyo Gigantes's pitcher tosses the ball, his arm snapping forward like a mousetrap. The ball blazes through the air fast and hard, its path curving toward home plate. Shigeru swings just as fiercely, his speed matching the pitcher's own and the sound of the bat hitting the ball pierces the air. Kirie leaps out from Yukinari's arms to confirm what her ears had perceived.

"Did he get it!?" she demanded loudly.

"He got it!" Tomoka answers excitedly.

On-screen, as the ball soars through the air the Maverick on second base speeds to third, Shigeru to first. Two Gigantes run to intercept the ball as it falls toward Earth. "Don't catch it! Don't catch it!" Kirie shouts as the Gigantes players reach the edge of the field, both leap up with arms stretched and the ball, inches from their gloves, falls over the outfield fence to grant Shigeru an out of the park home run, the stadium its cheers and jeers, and the Mavericks their victory. "Yess!" Kirie exclaims ecstatic. "Yes yes yess!" Kirie continued. "Shigeru did it! The dynasty is returning!"

"Nyaaah!" Ebi joins in the cheer, one arm raised.

"Hahahahahaa! Mavericks win! Mavericks win!" Kirie chanted lifting Ebi up into the air in celebration. The chants and cheers reached out to Yukinari's backyard where Koyomi stood reading 'Simple Spells and Enchantments for the Learning Witch'. Hebi watched over Koyomi protectively as he tried to sunbathe nearby in the fading sunlight of dusk.

"Kirie sure is loud" Koyomi thought as she turned her gaze up from her book. She had been reading the book Lisa had given her and though she learned of a few potential beauty tips and spells for maintaining the presence of good spirits, she was having trouble finding anything that might help her against Fukuyama. One in particular showed promise: a potion for rendering anyone who even touched her paralyzed from head toe, perfect against Fukuyama's invasive hands. Unfortunately, the list of ingredients for the spell were discouraging. "A Siberian soul gem? The tusks of a black-winged silver dragon? Black forest mithril?" she read out loud incredulously. "I don't even know what those are!?" she whined snapping the book shut in defeat. Sitting on the porch in the backyard, she lifted Miss Nina's letter which Lisa had handed to her after her confrontation with Fukuyama.

"Be sure to have her confront Fukuyama one-on-one and defeat him herself. This is important to help Koyomi boost her low confidence, something that I believe to be at the root of her phobia" Nina's letter read.

"So my confidence is low huh?" Koyomi thought to herself. She picked up the stun baton and waved it around. She activates it once, electricity snapping into existence between the two prongs. "How scary" Koyomi observed. "But maybe it's enough to keep the pervert away huh Hebi?" Koyomi directed at her python who was backing away intimidated. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you" Koyomi apologized. Putting the stun baton away, she approaches Hebi and allows him to coil himself around her. "You're really cold Hebi! That's not good for you." Hebi simply flicks his tongue at Koyomi. "Let's head inside" Koyomi said after looking up at the darkening sky and she walked back indoors to rejoin the others.

"Sweet sweet victory! There's no greater feeling!" Kirie breathed with relief as her adrenaline fell. "What a rush!.."

"Hey Koyomi" Yukinari greeted as Koyomi entered the living room.

"Finally, it's over! Poyon's about to start!" Tomoka said seizing the remote.

"You say that like you weren't getting into it near the end" Kirie remarked grinning.

"No! Poyon is way better!" Tomoka countered.

"That's a shame. And here I thought you were acting rather mature for your age when you were enjoying some good ol' baseball. Maybe after you've done some growing up" Kirie teased making Tomoka twitch as though she had been jabbed with a finger.

"Tomo will have you know that Tomo holds a very high rank back in Seiren! So Tomo doesn't need any lip service from a boob monster! You can't get to Tomo no matter how hard you try!" Tomoka finished folding her arms.

"Yeah okay" Kirie swiftly answers dismissively. "Anyways, what a win!" she commented sitting next to Yukinari and Ebi. "If the Mavericks win the championship, let's go out and celebrate!" Kirie suggests. "I know a place where a bunch of Mavericks fans like to hang out."

"That sounds like a plan Kirie" Yukinari agreed.

"Nyah nyah" Ebi responds in agreement.

"Can't wait!" Kirie finished before turning to Koyomi. "Hey Koyomi."

"H-hello Kirie" Koyomi returned.

"So Koyomi, how's it coming along? You ready to teach Fukuyama a lesson the next time he tries something funny?"

Koyomi looked back at Kirie pitifully. "I, I don't know" Koyomi admits.

"The stun baton should be enough" Yukinari said. "Just hit him with that if he tries anything."

"If that fails, put him to sleep with the sleeping powder" Kirie suggests. "Although on second thought, that could be impractical" Kirie said pessimistically.

"...Yeah" Koyomi acknowledged with a defeated sigh.

"...Unless... Koyomi, grab the sleeping powder Lisa gave you" Kirie commands as she makes her way upstairs toward Yukinari's room. Obeying Kirie's instruction, Koyomi approaches the cupboard in Yukinari's kitchen and pulls out the bag of sleeping powder. As she makes her way back to the living room, Kirie descends the stairs and approaches holding a small but powerful water gun filled with water.

"Kirie?" Koyomi said looking at the gun.

"Hey, that's my high-pressure water gun!" Yukinari protested. "That was expensive!"

"This is for Koyomi's sake Yukinari" Kirie responds quickly. "Koyomi, earlier today you said how the sleeping powder is supposed to be thrown at the face for maximum effect right?" Kirie asked.

"Right" Koyomi confirmed.

"Well, obviously throwing powder is impractical so I was thinking if we can mix it with water, we just might be able to solve that particular problem."

"Oh, I see!" Koyomi expresses impressed.

"That makes sense Kirie. Good going" Yukinari complimented.

"You can thank chemistry class!" Kirie credited as she proceeded to mix the powder into the water gun. As she did so, the water adopted the coloring of the dark blue powder. "Now, shall we test it out?" Kirie posed holding the water gun up.

"We're gonna have to" Yukinari concluded.

"Alright then" Kirie said as she took aim at Tomoka who was too busy watching Poyon to realize what was about to occur. With the pull of the trigger, a fine jet shoots across the room and hits Tomoka in the back of the neck. Tomoka shows absolutely no reaction as she continued to watch Poyon seemingly undisturbed. Kirie, Koyomi, and Yukinari watch in anticipation of whether it would work or not. Tomoka then proceeds to scratch the back of her neck in response to what she had perceived as a minor itch. Her eyes remain glued to the screen the entire time.

"Well" Yukinari began after a short, disappointing moment of silence, "at least now we know how much Tomoka likes her Poyon" Yukinari observed with amusement.

"She might be a little too into the show. I'm starting to worry" Kirie commented.

"What the heck? Why is Tomo's neck wet?" Tomoka asked rubbing her neck. Turning her head, she catches glimpse of the water gun in Kirie's hand. "Hey! What was that for boob monster!?" Tomoka demanded.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Kirie lied putting the water gun behind her back.

"Yeah right! You squirted Tomo with-" Tomoka suddenly collapses unconscious before she could finish her accusation.

"It, it worked" Yukinari said approaching Tomoka's sleeping body.

"Good!" Kirie said satisfied.

"She's not going to be very happy missing out on Poyon though..." Yukinari predicted.

"It was getting late anyways. A girl as young as her needs her rest" Kirie said noting the late hour. "Here you go Koyomi. Put it to good use" Kirie instructs as she hands over the water gun.

"Thank you Kirie" Koyomi thanked accepting Kirie's innovation.

That night, Koyomi and Tomoka slept in the bedroom once occupied by Yukinari's parents as they always did since they had come to visit. Ebi slept in the same room in a crib Kirie once slept in as an infant, a crib Kirie's mother had preserved impeccably. It was not because Ebi could not sleep in a normal bed, the crib was put there at Tomoka's insistence who feared her alleged grown-up body could crush Ebi in her sleep. In any case, as Koyomi lay in bed she examined the water gun Kirie had handed her. "Maybe now I won't lose sleep worrying about the blonde pervert" she thought. Glancing over at Tomoka who was out cold lying next to her, she thought "perhaps now I can get a good night's rest." She squirts her palm and rubs the water against the back of her neck. She falls asleep a few instants later.

Yukinari and Kirie shared his room whenever Kirie would sleepover, something that was not uncommon now that they had started dating. Kirie's mother didn't seem to take much issue with her sleeping over at Yukinari's house and according to Kirie, Mr. Kojima was far away somewhere on business so there was nothing stopping Kirie from deciding to sleep over. Often times Yukinari would think their relationship was progressing way too fast to be sharing a bed but such thoughts would readily disappear whenever he'd get a good look at the brunette. "You know Kirie, we should just get Koyomi a pepper spray" Yukinari suggested to Kirie as he relaxed on his bed. He stared at the ceiling wearing nothing but his boxers as he considered his own idea.

"I think Koyomi's got enough on her hands as it is. A stun baton, a water gun with the sleeping powder, and some sort of ink... or something on her hands she told us Lisa gave her... I, I think it's enough" Kirie answers fresh out of the bath room wrapped in a towel. "She seems a little more confident as a result of Lisa's tutoring so I think she'll be alright. Most of all, she's got us right? You, Seiichirou, and myself! Fukuyama should keep his distance as long as Koyomi sticks close to us."

"That didn't stop him the several other times" Yukinari recalls.

"...Yeah, you're right" Kirie surrenders after a few moments of thought. With her back to Yukinari, she slips on a pair of baby blue panties underneath her towel. She then drops her towel, nothing but panties on, and tosses on a silk nightgown over her head. Yukinari couldn't help but watch as she did so. Kirie then spins around to face him, her nightgown flowing in the wake of her twirl. As it settles, it molds to the form of her well-endowed, thinly-veiled features; the contours of her waist, hips, thighs. Kirie was a stunningly beautiful girl and Yukinari could not help but still feel a little intimidated by Kirie as she approached and lied down next to him. He still wasn't sure how he had managed to pair up with such a girl. As for Kirie, she loved spending any quality time with Yukinari whether they were outdoors, at school, or during a sleepover. "You know Yukinari, I think Koyomi looks up to you" Kirie said snuggling up to Yukinari.

"You think so?" Yukinari asked, the smell of her moist, shampooed hair enticing him.

"I know so Yukinari, why wouldn't she?" Kirie said, her hand planted on Yukinari's chest.

"Thanks Kirie. And I think she looks up to you too" Yukinari returns.

"So then it's up to us to make sure that she gets all the help and support we can give her" Kirie declares.

"Definitely" Yukinari finishes and then tosses the covers over them both.

The very next morning, Yukinari awoke in one of his favorite manners: with Kirie firmly in his arms, Kirie's face buried in his chest. Her soft, steady breathing threatened to lull him back to sleep like it always did and her silk-soft skin and nightgown made it nearly impossible to tear away from her. He would lie there all day if he could but school was an unavoidable responsibility. The alarm clock had not gone off yet so he had some time to just cuddle with Kirie a little more and that he did: he rubbed Kirie's bare shoulder and then ran his fingers through Kirie's long hair... that ran down her back... Finally opening his eyes, he finds that Kirie's hair had lengthened and turned silver, her skin had been covered with purple markings, and her chest had flattened... He seizes his mouth before he could shout from shock at his discovery of the two girls sleeping in his bed. The actual Kirie was sound asleep opposite his side of the bed. Yukina, leader of Seiren's special forces division, was asleep right in between the two. Yukinari falls out off bed gripping his mouth to stop himself from yelling in surprise. Slowly and carefully he gets up off the floor and sits at the edge of his bed.

"Okay Yukinari... What the hell happened last night!?" Yukinari questioned himself quietly but with great urgency. Immediately, he recalled what had taken place the previous night and he was most certain it was only Kirie and he who had shared the night together. He looks around searching for some sort of clue as to how Yukina had gotten inside, not to mention when and why. Thankfully, he had little reason to worry about Kirie's reaction since she knew who Yukinari was with last night... But then again, what of Yukina? Yukinari reminded himself that Yukina, in response to being unable to touch men, decided to kidnap Miharu and try to seal the link between Earth and Seiren. He had to deal with Yukina delicately especially since surely Yukina had seen Yukinari and Kirie sharing the same bed when she had somehow gotten into the room. Yukinari did not have long to think about any of this as Yukina began to stir. She opens her eyes and spots Yukinari standing there shocked.

"Good morning Yukinari" she greets lifting the blanket off of her revealing she was wearing absolutely nothing. Before Yukinari could say anything, Yukina leaps off of the bed and pounces on him. "Oh Yukinari! I missed you sooo much!" she sung hugging Yukinari tightly. "How long has it bee- Yukinari! What, what's this!?" Yukina posed as she probed Yukinari's firm chest and arms.

"Yu-Yukina, let's get you some clothes" Yukinari said in alarm seizing Yukina's hands and trying to hurriedly maneuver her out of the room.

"But I hate clothes!" Yukina objected resisting Yukinari's movements. "And I'm not done" she said returning to grabbing Yukinari's body.

"Please stop Yukina" Yukinari commanded seizing Yukina's hands a second time.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Kirie, shortly after waking up, exclaims making both Yukinari and Yukina jump in surprise. "Yukinari, what the hell is going on!?"

"Who's she?" Yukina asked looking over at Kirie who was covering up with a blanket.

"Let's go Yukina" Yukinari said pushing Yukina out of his room more forcefully this time.

"Yukinari!" Kirie repeated angrily.

"Sorry Kirie, please just give me a quick second" Yukinari pleaded right before departing the room. Closing the door, he leaves Kirie alone in his room. He hurries Yukina off to his parents' bedroom where Koyomi, Tomoka, and Ebi were sound asleep.

"Where are we going?" Yukina asked as Yukinari knocked on the door.

"To get you dressed" Yukinari says firmly pulling a nude Yukina along. "Walk inside and look through the drawers for something that fits you" he commands avoiding looking at her and pushes Yukina into his parents' room.

"But I don't kno-" Yukina begins but is cut off by Yukinari closing the door.

"I'm sure Koyomi won't mind Yukina borrowing some of her clothes" Yukinari told himself. "Better go talk to Kirie. She's probably freaking out right now" he recalls as he heads back to his room. Inside, he finds Kirie fitting herself into her school uniform.

"Yukinari, what the hell was that!?" she asked angrily. "What was Yukina doing here!?"

"Kirie, I'd like to know too. I woke up and there she was and I was as shocked as you were" Yukinari explained.

"I'll question her myself then" Kirie said heading toward the door. "Who does she think she is walking into our bed like that? Naked even!"

"Wait wait wait Kirie" Yukinari said intercepting Kirie. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What are you talking about?"

"Kirie, Yukina had Miharu kidnapped and she tried sealing the link between Earth and Seiren because she had an allergy to men. I think it's best to deal with her carefully. From the very short time she spent here on Earth last time, I suspect Yukina might be obsessed with me and if she finds out about the kind of relationship you and I have... I fear what her reaction might be..."

"Tch. What's the worst she could do?" Kirie posed, arms folded.

"Kirie, she has telekinetic powers Kirie!" Yukinari reveals in alarm. Kirie looks at him incredulously. "Just like Miharu and Koyomi have star marks on their foreheads that give them their powers, Yukina has star marks all over her body! This lets her move things with her mind! I've confronted her before when we rescued Miharu, Miharu and I have seen her use her powers firsthand."

"You can't be serious. How did I never learn about this?"

"She didn't stay here on Earth long and I don't recall ever seeing her using them outside of Seiren" Yukinari recalls.

"So then what do you propose we do?" Kirie asks.

"Right now, I just wish to know why she's here. Also, I think it's best she think you and I are just friends."

"...Right, I understand... So I guess no more display of affection?" Kirie asks disappointed.

"Just not in her presence" Yukinari says feeling just as disappointed as Kirie was.

"So where is she now?"

"She's in my parents' room where the others are sleeping. I sent her in there to get dressed" Yukinari said getting into his own school uniform. "Now let's go check up on Yukina" Yukinari said and both he and Kirie moved toward his parents's bedroom.

"Well I for one would like to see her powers in action" Kirie declares as they approach the other bedroom.

"She'll show them if you piss her off. In other words, let's not" Yukinari responds worriedly. "Kirie, I'd prefer you go in first" he tells Kirie as they stood in front of the room.

"Why?"

"Well, I'd rather not barge into a room where girls are sleeping" Yukinari said apprehensively. "Just doesn't seem right."

"Oh jeez Yukinari, they're just sleeping" Kirie retorts as she enters the room. Inside, she finds clothes strewn about the room and Yukina searching frantically through several of the dressers. She was no longer naked and instead was wearing jogging pants underneath a set of white panties. Underneath a long-sleeved shirt hung a bra loosely, a bra much too large for her chest.

"This is why I hate clothes! They're so awkward!" Yukina whined to Tomoka and Koyomi who had just woken up. "These gloves aren't working!"

"Socks don't go on your hands" Tomoka squeaks.

"Socks?" Yukina says examining her sock-covered hands.

"They go on your feet" Tomoka continues.

"Why would you wear these on your feet?" Yukina challenges.

"Good morning everyone" Kirie announces after clearing her throat.

"Oh! Good morning Kirie" Koyomi greets.

"Yukinari, you can come in" Kirie says behind her.

"Is it okay?"

"Yes, they're awake" Kirie reveals at which point Yukinari finally enters.

"Who are you?" Yukina directs at the strange brunette.

"You mean you don't know who I am!?" Kirie asks masking an annoyance under her breath. She wanted to let her know that she was one of the girls who participated in rescuing Miharu, helped to halt her devious plot, and Yukinari's significant other but she ultimately heeded Yukinari's words.

"Not a clue" Yukina responds not abandoning her search.

"My name's Kirie Kojima, age 16. Earthling" Kirie says proudly.

"My name's Yukina, age 15. Seirenian" Yukina returns digging her entire arms into another drawer and tossing a bundle of clothes down onto the floor adding to the growing mess of clothes in the room.

"Yukina" Yukinari begins, "are you here visiting?"

"Yes I am. As a matter of fact, it's my day off! Recall I didn't get to stay here long several months ago so I'd like to make the most of this visit today!" she says cheerfully as she sifted through a pile of clothes on the floor.

"You're going to pick those up right?" Kirie asked looking at all the clothing strewn about.

"Yeah sure, it should be a cinch" Yukina waved off confidently.

"Psst, Koyo" Tomoka whispers, "maybe now's our chance for a promotion!" she says hopping out of bed. "Here! Let Tomo and Koyo help!" she said before getting on her knees and sifting through the piles. "Tomo's name is Tomo by the way! Tomo works for the Space Travel Agency!"

"Could you at least pick up the piles you're done searching through?" Kirie asked hoping to see what Yukina would do next.

"Ugh!.. Fine!" Yukina sighs rolling her eyes. Suddenly, the markings on her body glow and several articles of clothing levitate. Just as quickly they are folded in in the ari and fly into the drawers which close right after. All that remained afterwards were two piles Yukina and Tomoka were still looking through. "There."

"Skillfully done!" Tomoka compliments.

"Okay, very good! I'll go get breakfast ready. Yukinari, come along. I'm going to need your help" Kirie said as she made her way out.

"You will?" Yukinari asked as he gets pulled out by Kirie's strong grip. Closing the door, Kirie drags him downstairs.

"...Well, Yukina's telekinetic powers have been confirmed. So now what?" Kirie asked concerned.

"Yukina said she was here on vacation and I believe she mentioned something about visiting today. Based on this, I think it's only for one day" Yukinari inferred.

"So then we babysit her until the day's over?"

"Pretty much" Yukinari confirmed. Both stand there quietly for a moment.

"...I get the feeling it's going to be a long day today" Kirie predicts in distress and both sigh. "...I'll get breakfast ready."

"I'll help" Yukinari offered as he followed Kirie into the kitchen. Several moments later, with breakfast assembled, Ebi was the very first to descend the stairs and immediately make her way to the table.

"Good morning Ebi!" Kirie greets brightly as she adds the last touches to breakfast.

"Hello Ebi! You're looking rested" Yukinari added as he lifted Ebi atop a chair equipped with a stack of books to boost her up.

"Nyah nyah" Ebi murmured.

"You know Yukinari, if you think about it, we won't really have to babysit Yukina: I'm sure she can take care of herself" Kirie said as she tied a bib around Ebi's neck.

"You might be right. She has people who work for her doesn't she? If I recall correctly, Miss Hijiri worked for her right?"

"Please don't remind me about her" Kirie requested preferring not to think about one of her lesbian tormentors. "Whatever the case, we might not have to worry about Yukina until after school."

"Let's hope so" Yukinari concludes as he served Ebi her breakfast.

"So every morning, Yukinari and Kirie walk together to school along with Seiichirou and Miharu" Tomoka elaborated for Yukina as they both descended the stairs.

"So this school place, that's where many people my age go right?" Yukina asked with great curiosity.

"That's right!" Tomoka answered brightly. "Just like the schools back in Seiren and the uniform you're wearing is the one they wear! You'll fit right in!"

"That's wonderful!" Yukina declares cheerfully. Yukinari and Kirie turn to see her dressed into seifuku, the school uniform of Mizuno High. Their insides sink at the sight. "I've never gone to school back in Seiren so this will be so much fun!"

"You've never gone to school back in Seiren!?" Tomoka gasped.

"I had my own army of private tutors" Yukina explained as she took a seat at the table right next to Yukinari. "Hello, who might you be?" she directed at Ebi who answered the only way she knew.

"Nyah nyah" she said as she spooned apple sauce into her mouth. At that moment, Koyomi descended the stairs and quietly joined the rest at the table.

"You'll never guess who she is! She's Ebi, Tomo's pet... catfish! Tomo turned her into a human using Tomo's magic!" Tomoka boasted taking a seat. "As you can see, Tomo is very gifted and Tomo takes very good care of her!"

"No you don't!" Kirie objected as she sat next to Yukinari opposite Yukina. "You just shove her off on everyo-"

"So anyways" Tomoka interrupted loudly, "bet you can't wait to go to school today eh Yukina!?"

"I am so excited!" Yukina said turning to the breakfast that had been prepared for her. "Yukinari my love, will you feed me? Aaaa" Yukina asked opening her mouth awaiting to be fed. Yukinari struggles to come up with a way of dealing with the awkward situation. Before he could react, Kirie takes advantage of the fact that Yukina's eyes were closed and feeds Yukina herself. "That tastes really good Yukinari!" Yukina complimented.

"Kirie cooked it! Her tamagoyaki is to die for!" Yukinari reveals.

"Wonderfully done Kirie!" Yukina praises.

"Thank you" Kirie answers stoically.

"One more time Yukinari!" Yukina asks again, her mouth open just the same ready to be fed by her beloved. Just the same, Kirie sneaks another serving of breakfast into Yukina's mouth. She glares at Tomoka who struggles against the urge to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Kirie whispers, teeth clenched.

"Serves you right" Tomoka hisses back. Koyomi bows her head in shame. "Tomo missed Poyon because of you!"

"You've seen that episode seven times already!" Kirie counters under her breath as Yukinari and Yukina distracted each other.

"How would you know?" Tomoka pressed.

"Because" Kirie responds as she stealthily feeds Yukina a third time, "you've watched it seven times!" she says with an exhausted frustration in her voice.

"Since you've fed me Yukinari, now I'll feed you!" Yukina offers lifting a serving of Yukinari's breakfast and hovering it near his mouth.

"I'm sorry Kirie" Yukinari thought as he accepted Yukina's offering.

-TRANSITION-

"When the heck is this guy going to talk about his maid!?" Seiichirou growled as he skimmed through one of Fukuyama's many published books. "This guy's really into himself! I'm still in the 'about the author' part of the book and I'm 27 pages in! In a book titled 'My Fair Maid!' It even has her picture on the cover!"

"I'm sorry big brother. I have other books if you want to read them" Miharu offers pulling out other books from her school bag as they both made their way towards Yukinari's house.

"No, that's okay Miharu. I'll continue looking" Seiichirou said determined to read about Lilica, Fukuyama's chief maid. As he turned to the next page, a neatly folded-up laminated paper slips out of the book's pages.

"What's this?" Miharu asks as she picks up the fallen paper and unfolds it in its entirety. "It's a poster! A blank poster" Miharu discovers as she gazes at one side of said poster.

Looking at the other side of the poster, Seiichirou discovers that it is in fact a large poster of Lilica Stacy in a provocative swimsuit, her back to the viewer. "Mi-Miharu! Put that away!" a pink-faced Seiichirou demands as he takes the unfolded poster from Miharu's hands and folds it back up.

"What's wrong big brother?"

"Th-this is a book mark Miharu! Th-that's why it's blank!" Seiichirou lies and quickly slips the supposed book mark in between the pages of the book. "In any case, let's never bring it up again!" Seiichirou requests clearing his throat and regaining his composure. "We're almost at Sasaki's place! Let's go!"

"Yes big brother" Miharu agreed obediently but not without nurturing a curiosity of her own.

-TRANSITION-

"You know, as much as I'd like for you to accompany us to school" Kirie directed at Yukina as everyone neared finishing breakfast, "I'm afraid since you're not a student at the school, you won't be allowed entry. I'm very sorry Yukina."

"Really!?" Yukina and Tomoka both exclaim in unison.

"That's right. It's a darn shame too" Kirie says tossing a quick glare at Tomoka. Tomoka responds by pulling out a mobile phone from somewhere in her person.

"Oh, well what will I do now?" Yukina asks distressed.

"Tell you what: you wait for us here and when we get back from school, we'll show you a good time! We'll take you to all the hot spots and tourist attractions this small town has to offer! What do you say?" Kirie offers as she reassuringly wraps one arm around Yukina.

"Th-that sounds like a plan!" Yukina answers happily. "Okay! I will wait!"

"Nonsense!" Fukuyama cut across.

"Fukuyama!?" Yukinari and Kirie gasp at the sight of Fukuyama descending the stairs.

"Kyaah!" Koyomi shrieks as she runs to take cover behind Yukinari and Kirie. Immediately, she searches her person for her stun baton or her water gun only to realize she had left both upstairs.

"Nyaa nyaa!" Ebi cries out as she hops off of her chair.

"Greetings everyone!" Fukuyama howls, an arm raised high.

"What the hell do you want!?" Kirie growls as she lifts Ebi up into her protective arms.

"Relax Kirie! I'm here for someone else" Fukuyama said as he approached Yukina's side. "Hello there."

"Who are you?" Yukina asked the blonde stranger.

"My name is Kazuharu Fukuyama of the Fukuyama Family" Fukuyama introduced as he seized and kissed the back of Yukina's hand. "Welcome to Earth!"

"What do you want!?" Yukina demands pulling her hand away defensively. Tomoka steps forward.

"Yukina, Tomo called big brother Kazuharu to help you get to school!"

"Is he really!?" Yukina said feeling re-energized.

"That's right! Big brother Kazuharu is going to handle all the complex paper work and you will get to go to Mizuno High, no problem!" Tomoka assured.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Yukina said gratefully.

"What the hell are you up to Fukuyama!?" Kirie demands loudly.

"I'm not up to anything! I just wish to welcome this Seirenian girl to planet Earth!" Fukuyama said with an air of phony righteousness. "And gain access to that world filled with nothing but man-hungry women!" he schemed to himself.

"You've always been up to something for as long as I've known you!" Kirie accused. "And how will you get Yukina into school!? She's not a student there!" she shouted.

"As if I'd tell you! I'll give you a hint though: every man has his price! Kihihihihihihihihi!" Fukuyama laughs triumphantly. "My faithful maid Lilica is busy persuading the school principal to accept Yukina as a student as we speak! It worked for Miharu, it'll work for Yukina too! Hihihahahahaha!"

"I'm not the least bit surprised!" Kirie exclaims as the imagery of the principal being paid off visits her.

"Get out of my house Fukuyama" Yukinari commanded with an authoritative tone, his contemptuous eyes focused on the perverted blonde.

"Ooh! Touchy!" Fukuyama mocked as he made his way out. "Come!"

"Of course! Let's go Yukina!" Tomoka commands following. Yukina follows Fukuyama and Tomoka outside leaving the others inside.

"I don't know how to feel about this..." Kirie admits. "On the one hand, Yukina's no longer our responsibility. On the other hand, Fukuyama's up to something and I can't help but feel an obligation to make sure Fukuyama doesn't try anything funny."

"I-I'm so sorry you guys!" Koyomi apologizes bowing her head respectfully.

"For what?" Yukinari asks.

"That's my uniform she's wearing and Tomoka discovered the water gun which I left in plain sight! It reminded her about yesterday, she's angry, and now she's taking it out on you guys! This is my fault!"

"Relax Koyomi, it's not like you could have foreseen any of this!" Yukinari said.

"Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself" Kirie agrees. "I'm more to blame for Tomoka being angry actually." Outside, Fukuyama, Tomoka, and Yukina approach a long, black luxury limo. "Still, Tomoka can be so vindictive over some dumb show!"

"Koyomi, are there any other girls Tomoka's age who are fully employed and driven the way Tomoka is?" Yukinari questioned amused.

"Or child labor laws for that matter?" Kirie quips.

"Tomoka's a rarity" Koyomi answers. "But she's my co-worker... A good one too if you ask me." After letting Ebi down, Kirie and Yukinari grab their school bags.

"Alright Ebi, you behave yourself!" Kirie said hugging Ebi goodbye.

"Nya nya!" Ebi hugs back.

"I'll take good care of her, like always!" Koyomi assured. Suddenly, somewhere out in the distance, the sound of twisting metal as though from a vehicle collision shatters the peaceful suburban quiet.

"What was that!?" Yukinari shouts looking outside in alarm.

"I was wondering how long it would take" Kirie said not expressing a speck of surprise. Yukinari and Kirie make their way out to see a twisted black limo flying through the sky. Tomoka stood on the sidewalk together with Yukina whose markings glowed fiercely, her hair levitating as she sent Fukuyama's limo flying across the sky.

"What happened?" Yukinari asks approaching with Kirie following alongside him.

"Big brother Kazuharu invited Yukina into the limo but she wanted Yukinari to come along" Tomoka answered. "The big perv put his arm around her and refused her request so Yukina sent him flying. A wise choice on Yukina's part!"

"Hmph! I'm not going anywhere unless Yukinari is with me!" Yukina said after withdrawing her telekinetic powers and for Yukinari and Kirie, reaffirming the delicate gloves they must use when dealing with Yukina.

"Whatever the case, you guys must be on your way or you'll be late! Get going Yukina!" Tomoka urged.

"We don't want to be late! Come Yukinari!" Yukina commands holding out her arm. Yukinari complies and offers his forearm solely out of fear. Yukina grabs hold and they begin to walk together.

"I'm sorry Kirie" Yukinari apologizes again.

"You suck-up little brat" Kirie growled at Tomoka as she too started for Mizuno High.

"Have fun at school boob monster!" Tomoka retaliates. The thought of a promotion brings a victorious grin to her face as she makes her way back home.

-TRANSITION-

"What in the hell?" Seiichirou commented as he saw the limo flying through the sky.

"Oh my!" Miharu said as she too watched it flying off, "that looks like one of Fukuyama's limos."

"Why... is it flying?.." Seiichirou asks completely puzzled.

"Oh look! And that's Fukuyama in there!" Miharu said waving at Fukuyama. "Hiii Fukuyamaaa!" Miharu waves as the limo continues its flight. "I wonder where he's going?"

"I don't think he's a willing passenger" Seiichirou said responding to Fukuyama's panicked expression. "And why the hell is it flying!?"

The limo disappears over a nearby building and both of them quickly resume their walk. "Look big brother, there's Yukinari!" Miharu announces excitedly. "And is that... Yukina!?" Miharu quickly closes the distance between herself and the people she spotted.

"Wait up Miharu!" Seiichirou says as he kept up with her.

"Good morning Yukina! It's so wonderful to see you again!" Miharu greets.

"Hello Miharu! It feels good to be back!" Yukina returns. "You ready for school? I know I am!"

"You're going to school with us!?" Miharu exclaimed surprised.

"Yes! I have the uniform as you can see!" Yukina said showing off the uniform Tomoka had handed her. "Will you show me around?"

"Of course I will!" Miharu answered. "Oh, and this is my big brother!" she said pulling Seiichirou's face in.

"Oh! You have a big brother!?" Yukina gasps. "I can see a resemblance!"

"Right!?" Miharu squeals with delight.

"Yes! A Seirenian male!" Yukina admired. "Not many of those in existence."

"Uh, yeah..." Seiichirou responds. "What's the deal?" Seiichirou whispered Yukinari's way after breaking away from his little sister's soft grip.

"Please help" Yukinari whispered back. Before Seiichirou could ask anything else, Yukinari's jerked away by Yukina. Yukina relentlessly pulled Yukinari along as she followed a Miharu who was happily skipping toward school.

"What's going on?" Seiichirou asks Kirie.

"It's a long story" Kirie began before dumping an immense quantity of information upon Seiichirou. She explains that Yukina, in addition to having potent telekinetic powers and markings all over her body, once had an allergy to men. Upset by her affliction, she had Miharu kidnapped to seal the link between Seiren and Earth. During a concerted effort to rescue her, Yukinari showed Yukina the error of her ways and thus brought the rescue effort to a successful end. She finished off by telling him about how Yukina was visiting from Seiren after a long absence. "Now Yukinari and I fear that if she finds out about our relationship, she'll incur her wrath once more."

"Seems like it" Seiichirou said as he watched Yukinari walking stiffly. "I'm sorry to hear that. It's gotta suck seeing another girl being so close to him too! I'm very sorry!"

"Not really: I trust Yukinari. And it's only for a day" Kirie elaborates as all five approach the gates of Mizuno High.

"Well, here we are!" Miharu declares. "Mizuno High! It's been so long!"

"So this is it?" Seiichirou said as he beheld the massive structure.

"Yes it is. A decent educational institute don't you think?" an attractive feminine voice emits softly. Seiichirou and the others turn to find Lilica walking their way. Seiichirou tenses up at the sight of Fukuyama's lovely yet deadly maid, Lilica Stacy. "You're Yukina aren't you?" she asked the girl with the long, silver hair.

"Yes, I am!" Yukina confirms.

"My master has taken a liking to you and, as he has requested, I have enrolled you to Mizuno High" Lilica said presenting Yukina with a school schedule. "Congratulations."

"Oh! Thank you very much!" Yukina responds looking over the schedule eager to attend every class listed.

"I have those exact classes too!" Miharu says as she read Yukina's new school schedule. "What lovely coincidences!"

"Yeah, I bet" Kirie muttered under her breath.

"Well, I'll be on my way" Lilica announces as she starts back toward the Fukuyama estate. She walks by Seiichirou brushing against his shoulder ever so slightly. Seiichirou freezes up not knowing how to respond to that: should he apologize? Confront her? Not mind it at all? He ultimately remains frozen by her presence and breathes a sigh of relief as she walks away, or so he believed. "Were you reading this by the way? I'm flattered!" Lilica asked standing right behind Seiichirou and flipping through Fukuyama's book, 'My Fair Maid!'

"When did you-!?" Seiichirou finally voiced when he realized the book he was holding in his hand had been snatched. Somehow, it had been taken from his grasp without him noticing. "Gi-give that back! That's my sister's!" Seiichirou growls.

"Come and get it" Lilica challenges holding the book in one hand. "Take it from me." Seiichirou, though he was feeling incredibly intimidated, was not one to back down from a challenge. He approaches slowly expecting her to make some sort of move to trip him up or repel his attempt to take the book. To his surprise, Lilica surrenders the book, her arm stretched out, and he receives it.

"..Uh.." Seiichirou gawks.

"That's a terrible book. Master speaks of himself without end, most of it fabricated, the rest exaggerated. If you wanted to learn more about me, you should have just asked" Lilica reveals. "Just come over to Master's estate whenever you have the chance and I'll tell you whatever you'd like. I love a good chat."

"..Ehh..." Seiichirou repeats.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. It was nice running into you here by the way. Ciao everyone." Lilica departs without another word, the sound of her heels striking against the concrete accompany her elegant stride.

"What a... frightening woman" Seiichirou thought to himself as he watched the combat maid walking off in the distance. Kirie couldn't help but grin at the sight.

"Hey Seiichirou, you okay? You look hot and bothered!" Kirie teased elbowing Seiichirou in the ribs, the others watching somewhat amused. "You like what you see?"

"What are you talking about!? St-stop speaking nonsense!" Seiichirou demanded.

"Her name's Lilith. You going to accept her invitation?"

"Her name's Lilica! Lilica Stacy!" Seiichirou corrected.

"Oh! Of course! You'd know better than anyone else!" Kirie teased further.

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Umm, big brother, I'll be heading into class now" Miharu said retaking Seiichirou's attention.

"Oh!... Right... Sorry." Seiichirou acknowledged and hugs his little sister goodbye. "If anyone bothers you in any way, you let me know okay? I'll kill 'em!" he reminded his little sister.

"You'll... kill 'em?" Miharu asked mystified.

"That would be going overboard" Kirie apprehended.

"Seiichirou doesn't mean it like that" Yukinari reminds his girlfriend.

"Yeah, I'll make them regret messing with my little sister!" Seiichirou assured. "Okay?"

"Okay!" Miharu agrees and she and the others then proceeded to class.

-TRANSITION-

"Class, I'd like to introduce a new student who will be joining us" the professor announced at the beginning of chemistry class.

"Hello everyone, my name is Yukina! I'm very excited to be joining you all today! Please accept me as a fellow classmate" Yukina introduced herself bowing her head respectfully. She then proceeds to take a seat right next to Yukinari. As she did so, many students could only gawk at the length and beauty of her long, flowing silver hair. They also noticed the markings all over her body but remained respectful. She sat one seat in front of Miharu who sat right next to Kirie, Kirie herself sitting one seat behind Yukinari.

"Yukina! This is my second favorite class because sometimes, we make things that are meant to be eaten!" Miharu explained excited.

"So this is like cooking class!" Yukina answers.

"I wish!" Miharu said. "In cooking class, everything is edible! In chemistry class, you have to be more careful what you eat!" Miharu warns. "I learned that the hard way."

"We all did" Yukinari added recalling back when Miharu drank some substance in the same class and began multiplying.

"Cooking class is Miharu's favorite" Kirie said.

"Yep!" Miharu admits without hesitation.

"I had a feeling!" Yukina said eliciting giggles from herself and Miharu.

"Seems they're both getting along quite well" Kirie whispers into Yukinari's ear. "Maybe today will go smoothly" Kirie continued to which Yukinari nods.

-TRANSITION-

Seiichirou walked back home but was finding it harder and harder to distance himself from his little sister. "What if some asshole is teasing her? Or if the teacher is trying to harass her!? Or what if some guy is trying to pick her up!? Or, or what if there's some gas leak in school!? Or if an epidemic suddenly breaks out in school!?" Seiichirou allowed these ideas to swirl around his head which achieved nothing beyond aggravating him. "Doesn't that sick blonde pervert go to the same school!? If that snake goes to that school, he wouldn't let an opportunity like this pass him up!" Seiichirou realized. "This can't be ignored! I better get back!" he alerted himself. Turning around, he hurries back toward school. "Don't worry Miharu, big brother's coming to save you!"

-TRANSITION-

In the middle of chemistry lab, Miharu had made it her mission to show Yukina around the school and she was starting with chemistry lab. "This right here is a flask!" Miharu said presenting a glass container. "It's for holding chemicals! And this here is a bunsen burner! You heat chemicals by wafting the flame across its glass container. Never expose a test tube or any other glass container to an open flame for an extended time or the glass will melt!"

"I see... Yes yes!" Yukina said eyeing the flame-summoning instrument.

"Look at her go!" Kirie said in surprise. "Miharu's learned quite a bit eh Yukinari?"

"Yeah, it seems so" Yukinari acknowledges sitting right next to Kirie watching Yukina and Miharu from another table.

"Remember Yukina, don't pour water into chemicals, pour chemicals into water! And always wear your goggles!"

"Understood!" Yukina obeyed.

"Seiichirou would be so proud!" Yukinari said. "Sucks he's not here watching her!"

"You know Yukinari, now's our chance" Kirie whispered sporting eyes brimming with affection. "You and I could borrow an unused classroom and... do some 'extra credit'."

"Kirie, we can't leave them here" Yukinari said referring to Yukina and Miharu. As tempting as Kirie's idea was, Yukinari didn't want to abandon what he felt was his and Kirie's responsibility.

"Oh come on Yukinari. Miharu has completely taken over!" Kirie said indicating Miharu's direction. "I mean just look at her!"

"Before we get started, we need to tie our hair back!" Miharu instructed tying back her pink hair into a ponytail.

"Okay" Yukina agrees following suit.

"You have such lovely hair by the way!" Miharu compliments.

"Thank you so much!" Yukina thanked. "I think yours is beautiful too!"

"Thank you! I take good care of it!" Miharu returns giggling. "Now let us don our aprons!"

"Miharu will look after Yukina" Kirie said. "Yukina seems like a nice enough person and we don't have to be gone long!"

"Well alright Kirie, let's go. Lucky us our assignment isn't due 'til next week" Yukinari noted before walking out of optional lab time. "I just hope nothing goes wrong!"

"Stop worrying so much Yukinari! What could possibly go wrong?" Kirie questioned as they successfully exited chemistry class without detection. After a brief search, they come across an unused music room. "In here!" Kirie said looking into the room through a small window on the door. They both walk in and lock the door behind them.

-TRANSITION-

Throughout the halls walked Seiichirou frantically searching for his younger sister Miharu. "What class is she in?" he ponders as he gazed at the large number of rooms that lined the halls. "Where the hell do I start?"

"Hey you!" a brave, deep-sounding voice apprehended from behind him. The cleanliness-obsessed Mamo Ranger, the newly appointed hall monitor, stood there valiantly, his arms crossed and his chest out. "Who are you? You're not from this school are you?" Mamo Ranger interrogated.

"No, I'm not" Seiichirou answered and he continues his search peering into a vacant room.

"Then I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave" hall monitor Mamo Ranger informs. "Oh man! Power feels good!" he thought to himself. Seiichirou continues his search as though Mamo Ranger weren't even there. "Hey, are you listening!?" the hall monitor raised his voice. "Don't you see the sash!? It reads 'hall monitor'! It means I have authority! You 'will' respect my authority!"

"Go away" Seiichirou mutters as he pokes his head into a classroom and asks if Miharu was there.

"I won't go away, especially since you're disrupting class time! I'm taking you in!" Mamo Ranger proclaims with one arm raised heroically approaching Seiichirou.

"Hey you!" Seiichirou calls out to Mamoru, Mamo Ranger's actual name. "You're hall monitor right?"

"Of course!" Mamoru said proudly.

"Do you know where my little sister Miharu Sena Kanaka is? Cute pink hair, pink irises, three dots on her forehead."

"I'm under no obligation to answer that!" Mamoru boomed resisting.

"Okay, answer me this then: does that sick, blonde perv Fukuyama go to this school?" Seiichirou asked.

"Yeah, Kazuharu Fukuyama goes to this school, and that's the last question I will answer! I'm going to have to use force to make you go!" hall monitor Mamo Ranger answered with great pomp. Seiichirou immediately seizes Mamo Ranger by his uniform threateningly. "Gahh! Let go!" Mamo Ranger panics, his earlier pomp and forwardness evaporating.

"In that case, my little sister's in danger! I'm going to need you to answer my earlier question: where's my little sister!?" Seiichirou growls.

"Right this way sir!" Mamo Ranger said politely. Seiichirou lets him go.

"Lead the way then" Seiichirou commands.

"Yes sir!" a crumbling Mamo Ranger answers and shows Seiichirou the way. "I noticed your shoes are untidy. Would you like your shoes shined sir?"

"Just keep leading!" Seiichirou commands again.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari and Kirie walk back out of the music room, Kirie fixing the top of her uniform and making sure her bra was properly cupping her breasts. Yukinari was putting the jacket that complemented his uniform back on. "We got a little carried away in there don't you think Kirie?"

"It's 'you' who got carried away" Kirie accuses playfully. "You always have a hard time holding back whenever you manage to get your hands on me... Pervert!" she joked.

"Seriously Kirie, we could have gotten caught if someone had tried to get in!"

"It was locked Yukinari. And didn't you think the sense of danger made it all the more exciting!?"

"..Yeah, I would say that..." Yukinari surrendered.

"And were we caught?"

"No..."

"You see?" Kirie argued. "And all we did was make out. If we were caught, we'd just get a slap on the back of the wrist and then they would let us go."

"...Let's just go back already Kirie" Yukinari said hurrying back to chemistry class, Kirie following. "So what's our cover? What do I tell Yukina if she asks where we went?" Yukinari asked.

"We went to go buy some yakisoba bread" Kirie suggested.

"In that case, Miharu will want some!"

"They were sold out" Kirie figured.

"Okay, that's a solid enough story" Yukinari agreed.

"And you were so worried about leaving class" Kirie reminded Yukinari.

"Okay okay, you were right..." Yukinari surrenders. "Let's just hurry back!" Arriving back at chemistry class, Yukinari opens the door only to halt himself at the sight he beholds: school supplies, book bags and books, glass beakers and a scale, and even a few chairs all swirling around the room in mid-air at menacingly high speeds, some of them glowing green. Students were taking cover under tables hoping not to get hit by any of the flying projectiles. Standing at one end of the class was Yukina, her hair levitating, the markings on her body shining angrily. "Yukina, what are you doing!?"

"Stand back Yukinari!" Lisa Fukuyama warns from the far side of the chemistry lab, her glowing skull staff in hand. "I'll handle this!"

"Lisa!?" Yukinari exclaims surprised. "What are you two doing!?"

"Get out of the way Sasaki!" Seiichirou shouts charging out the door, Miharu under his arm protected from the flying debris. The other students in the room follow suit and also scramble out shielding themselves.

"Close the door!" the last person out shouts as things start to fly out the classroom. Seiichirou does so, the sound of things hitting the other side of the door ringing out once it was closed.

"What's going on!?" Yukinari demands alarmed feeling as though this was somehow his fault.

"Are you okay Miharu!?" Seiichirou asked examining his sister for any injuries.

"Yes big brother! I swear!" Miharu assured.

"So what's going on!?" Kirie exclaims.

"It's a bit of a long story" Miharu began as she started to recall what had taken place in the previous several minutes.

-flashback-

"Okay, so now we just wait for our candy to harden and it'll be ready to eat!" Miharu said standing over a small baking pan borrowed from a cooking class. On it sat hardening mixtures of candy poured from a small beaker. "Doesn't it remind you of the candy we have back in Seiren?" Miharu asked having a hard time waiting for it to harden.

"Yeah, it does look good!" Yukina agreed.

"While we wait, let's clean up and put things away!" Miharu instructed. "I'll gather the glassware, you go grab a few rags. There's a few right over there" Miharu said indicating toward a table where a blonde with a ponytail and goggles stood conducting her own chemical experiments.

"Alrighty then" Yukina said and proceeded to the blonde's table.

"...I wonder where Yukinari and Kirie went?" Miharu wondered as she gathered the lab instruments. Looking over at Yukinari and Kirie's table, she had failed to spot them.

"Yukina!?"

"Yes?" Yukina responds turning to the blonde identifying her. "How did you know my name?"

"It's me! Lisa!" the blonde answers removing her goggles.

"Oh my goodness! It's you!" Yukina said closing the distance and both hugged happily. "How have you been?"

"I've been swell! How about you? Visiting from Seiren I assume?"

"That's right!" Yukina confirmed.

"Oh! Hello Lisa! Good morning!" Miharu greeted as she approached.

"And you're here too!?" Lisa gasped with legitimate surprise. "Well isn't this great!?"

"It's fantastic!" Miharu said. Yukina nodded in agreement.

"So what are you guys up to?" Lisa posed as she set down a few lab instruments.

"Well actually, we're making some candy! Would you like some?" Miharu offers.

"I would love some Miharu!" Lisa accepts gratefully.

"Let me go see if they're ready" Miharu informs and she withdraws leaving Lisa and Yukina at the table.

"So what are you working on?" Yukina asked looking over the lab equipment on Lisa's table.

"Glad you asked! You see this?" Lisa questioned lifting up a small, corked test tube of a red, transparent liquid.

"What is it?"

"It's a love potion for a certain special someone" Lisa said. "One sip of this and that certain special someone will be wholly and entirely devoted to me and only me!"

"Oh! Let me have a sample! There's someone I'd love to use it on!" Yukina said. At this, Lisa's eyes narrow.

"Oh, that's right..." Lisa recalled in thought. "Yukina is just another girl who's after my soulmate's affection. It's bad enough that Kirie has taken the lead in that regard! Well, there's no way I'm allowing another girl to enter this race!" Lisa thought quietly to herself. "I'm sorry, it's not complete. As a matter of fact, I just recently started concocting it" Lisa fabricated.

"It's not? Oh darn!" Yukina moaned in disappointment. "When will it be ready?"

"Not for a very long time" Lisa said. "Magic like this takes a great deal of time and patience!"

"Oh, okay" Yukina finished. "...So it's true Earth has Seikon too!?"

"What?"

"You said magic! That's what Earthlings call Seikon on Earth right?"

"Magic is not Seikon!" Lisa retorts offended. "Magic takes years of study and a great deal of focus to execute correctly. It has a varied and extensive history as a clandestine and at times persecuted art that snakes its way back to the very beginnings of human civilization! Seikon is something one is simply born with like being born with a certain hair color!"

"Don't dismiss Seikon like that!" Yukina says with a scowl. "It has its own history too!"

"Magic requires hard work. Seikon requires luck. Magic is of the mind, Seikon is of the flesh" Lisa finished.

"Well it took me years to learn how to utilize my Seikon abilities properly so don't just wave off Seikon so simply!" Yukina answers annoyed. "As a matter of fact" Yukina said as the markings on her body began to glow, "it took me years to learn how to do something like this!" Suddenly, the test tube in Lisa's hand is telekinetically lifted up above Lisa's head.

"Hey! Give that back!" Lisa demanded reaching up. "Give it back right this instant!"

"Funny. You suddenly seem rather intent on taking your love potion back, a potion you yourself said you had just started on" Yukina challenges.

"Give it back!" Lisa demands again.

"Take it back with your Seikon, if you can!"

"It's not Seikon! It's magic!" Lisa scolds pulling out her skull staff. "And it's much more broad and powerful than any Seirenian magic!" Lisa points her staff at her levitating love potion and employs her own telekinesis magic. The love potion glows green matching the glow of Lisa's staff. Now with both magic and Seikon enveloping the test tube, Lisa and Yukina strain to take the love potion. "Give it back!"

"It's not Seirenian magic, it's Seikon! You take 'that' back first!" Yukina demands in return, her body markings shining angrily.

"It's only the truth!" Lisa answers still trying to reign in her potion. The potion strains in midair, two forces pulling it in opposite directions. At this point, the other students in the class had noticed the tube levitating in the air and could do nothing beyond stand and gape at it.

"You guys, stop this at once!" Miharu interrupts having helplessly watched and listened in terror as the the blonde and the Seirenian faced off.

"Stand back Miharu! I'm going to teach this disrespectful woman what Seikon bearers like you and I are all about!" Yukina commands.

"No you guys, please sto-" Miharu's pleading is stopped by the sound of glass shattering and the love potion spilling on the lab floor. Silence engulfs the room, both Yukina and Lisa staring at what remained of Lisa's potion on the floor.

"M-my potion! Ruined!" Lisa breathed in shock. Suddenly, Hayate and Kosame materialize by Lisa.

"Are you in need of assistance Mistress Lisa?" Lisa's bodyguards ask.

"...No... Withdraw... I'll handle this..." Lisa instructs and her body guards disappear. Lisa then turns to Yukina. "Do you realize how long I've been working on that?" Lisa, harboring a concealed rage, mutters under her breath.

"So you did lie about the potion!" Yukina realized. "Serves you right for hogging Yukinari!"

"Stay" Lisa begins, her staff raised in the air. "Away" Lisa continues as her staff glows green. "From my soulmate!" Lisa shouts and with a fling of her staff, various glowing items fly violently toward Yukina. Yukina, employing her Seikon, levitates a table and with it shields herself from Lisa's flying debris, some of it breaking upon impact.

"So, you wish to lay down the gauntlet now do you!?" Yukina hissed from behind the table, her Seikon marks glowing as she levitates several items, from beakers to bunsen burners, around the room to the other students' terror.

"What was your first clue!?" Lisa challenges, her staff glowing green as she too levitated her own projectiles, items like digital scales and a metal holder. As though in a whirlwind, her projectiles and Yukina's begin to fly around the room fast and aggressively, some under Lisa's control, the others under Yukina's. Dangerously, some of the glass items shatter as they strike different parts of the class and other flying objects. The students watch in horror and duck underneath their desks.

"Knock this off this inst-" Miharu shouts in an attempt to calm things down only to be interrupted by Seiichirou. "B-big brother!?" Miharu exclaims in surprise as Seiichirou pulls her in under a desk where they both find partial shelter from the flying debris.

"Miharu, keep your head down!" Seiichirou commands shielding her with his own body, several things colliding and shattering nearby.

"Yes" Miharu agrees tucking her head into her brother's arms and covering her face. At that instant, Yukinari opens the door and uncovers the fight going on between the silver-haired Seirenian and the blonde witch.

"Well there's Sasaki! We're getting out of here Miharu!" Pulling her up and taking his little sister with him, Seiichirou charges for the door. "Get out of the way Sasaki!" Seiichirou shouts charging, Miharu in tow. The other students follow Seiichirou's lead leaving Yukina and Lisa alone in the room.

-end flashback-

"And that's the gist of it" Miharu finished. Inside, Yukina tosses a chair at Lisa, Lisa blunting the attack with a desk, both items crashing in mid-air.

"I knew we shouldn't have left class" Yukinari mumbles under his breath.

"Right now's not the time to sulk" Kirie chastises.

"Things are flying all over the place!" a student gasped looking into the classroom. "It's like there's a whirlwind in there!"

"They're making a mess in there!" Mamo Ranger exclaims in shock. "As hall monitor, I cannot allow this! I will stop this injustice on school property and force them to clean this mess!" he announces heroically. With a broom in one hand, a mop in the other, Mamo Ranger charges into the room to stop the fight. "I'm going in!"

"No! Stop Mamo Ra-" Miharu shouts moving to stop the cleanliness-obsessed Mamoru but is stopped by Kirie and Seiichirou who both pull her back.

"Just let him go" Kirie and Seiichirou advise. Mamo Ranger runs into the room closing the door behind him in hopes of isolating the mess. Looking into the room, students find that Mamo Ranger has succumbed to the whirlwind in the classroom.

"Stop this at once!" Mamo Ranger shouts as he flew around the room.

"I'll show you that Seikon is greater than any magic!" Yukina shouted tossing a torn-out sink Lisa's way with her telekinesis.

"No! My magic is greater!" Lisa counters tapping the floor with her staff. A pentagram materializes in the sink's path and splits the sink in half, both halfs missing Lisa and crashing loudly against the wall behind her.

"You guys are making a mess!" Mamo Ranger disciplines in a panic, his body flying violently around the room. Yukina and Lisa continue their hostilities undisturbed.

Outside, after debating what to do, Yukinari decides to act. "Alright, I'm going in to stop them."

"No! Just stay put Yukinari! It's much too dangerous!" Kirie warned. As she did so, a microscope crashes out through the small window on the lab door clearing some of the students out of the way.

"If I don't, who will Kirie? It's only best that I do this" Yukinari, feeling responsible, admitted approaching the door to the chemistry lab. Without warning, the door to the lab explodes off of its hinges crashing against the wall. Luckily, Kirie pulls Yukinari out of the way at the last second. "K-Kirie! Y-you saved me there!" Yukinari gasped.

"Yukinari, we need to go!" Kirie alerted. Broken chairs and desks along with shattered glass start to fly out the chemistry lab. This only reinforced the need to evacuate much like many students were doing so at that very moment.

"I agree!" Seiichirou said. "I want to get Miharu as far away from here as possible!"

"Alright alright!" Yukinari agrees as the lockers along the hall start to rattle violently. He follows Kirie's lead, Miharu following Seiichirou's.

Back inside the chemistry room, the battle between Lisa and Yukina escalates. "I'll admit that your telekinesis is not to be taken lightly" Lisa concedes.

"It's more potent than yours!" Yukina boasts.

"That may or may not be true. Regardless, I have a wide range of abilities accrued over years of rigorous study!" Lisa boasts back.

"A Jill of all trades, a master of none!" Yukina insults, several personal items from the lockers out in the hall fly in and soar taking aim at Lisa. Lisa, with a wave of her staff and a burst of flames incinerates the pencils, journals, and textbooks flung at her.

"Honestly, you're attacking me with school supplies?" Lisa mocked. "I should have stayed in bed this morning: my hair in the morning poses a greater challenge!"

"Speak while you can!" Yukina retaliates, the marks on her skin almost blinding. With that, a mass of mangled lockers bend and twist their way into the room letting out an ear-grating sound. "I'll show you!"

"Bring it!" Lisa challenges, her staff at the ready. Yukina throws her arms forward, the lockers lunge at Lisa splitting in two. Like two pincers, the twisted lockers surround Lisa from both sides.

"Not bad" Lisa admitted secretly. Summoning swords composed seemingly out of light, she pins the pincers down to the classroom floor seizing their movement. "But not good Fenough!" To Lisa's surprise, the pincers split again and wrap around Lisa imprisoning her and the room falls silent as though declaring a victor.

"Not good enough huh?" Yukina mocks as she approached a jailed Lisa. "Enjoy your stay!" Yukina finishes as she begins to walk away assured of her victory. Her stride is halted however, the sound of a buzz saw piercing the air. "What the!?" Yukina gasps as sparks being to fly out from somewhere underneath the metal prison in the room. A spinning pentagram saws its way out, the twisted lockers sheared apart and granting the blonde prisoner her freedom. Or at least that's what Yukina was expecting at the opening of the locker prison. "Where'd she go!?" Yukina pondered quickly as she found no blonde witch. "Perhaps I've underestimated her?" Yukina thought as she uncovered a hole underneath the twisting metal. "But then where did she go!?" Yukina asked herself in alarm. "The floor underneath?"

"On your six" Lisa's voice whispered from right behind Yukina and with her staff propels her toward the wall. Yukina slows her body by seizing the wall with her telekinsesis. Lisa thrusts her staff toward Yukina and a red fireball ejects from it. Yukina quickly shuts on a faucet in the room and directs the water to parry Lisa's attack. Lisa's attack does not give in: she summons a stream of flames like those expelled from a flamethower and fly toward Yukina. Yukina shuts on all the faucets in the room and directs all the water to extinguish Lisa's vicious attack. The room fills with a thick steam and taking advantage of the diminishing visibility, Yukina immediately makes her way to the hall. "You're not getting away!" Lisa shouts as she too made her way out.

-TRANSITION-

A large tremor rattles the school walls. Yukinari, Kirie, Seiichirou, and Miharu made their way outside along with several other students who began to file out of their classrooms believing the tremors to be an earthquake. "Okay everyone, this is not a drill! Single file, slowly and patiently!" the teachers yelled out at the masses of students proceeding out of their classes as the floors and walls quaked further.

"This is insane!" Yukinari thought as he and the others reached outdoors.

"They're really going at it!" Kirie said as several explosions echoed within the vibrating school halls.

"What in the hell!?" Seiichirou exclaims.

"Oh my goodness!" Miharu gasped looking up at the second floor of Mizuno High. The masses of students that had filed out too bared witness to the sight. Several rows of windows explode ejecting out shattered glass, clouds of dust, and broken tables and desks.

"This is no earthquake! What's the meaning of this!?" Mr. Yamato demands loudly. "Everyone stand back!" he shouts in alarm at the students who immediately back away from the exploding building.

-TRANSITION-

Back inside the high school, Yukina and Lisa, both with tattered uniforms, continue a fight that could only increase in ferocity. Yukina stood at one end of an empty hall, Lisa at the other. Her hands raised, Yukina rips out a segment of the wall next to her with her telekinesis. She breaks off a chunk the size of a blackboard, dust blowing everywhere, the roof over it collapsing partially. "Take this!" Yukina shouts lobbing the chunk of wall towards Lisa. Lisa responds by summoning more swords of light, this time spinning like drills and with them splits the lobbed wall into pieces releasing great amounts of dust throughout the hall.

"...All you can do is throw things!" Lisa spat feeling out of breath, the swords dissipating. "Didn't work then, won't work now..."

"That's... all I'll need!" Yukina answers feeling drained as well. Her palms turned up, she moves her arms as though she were lifting something heavy. Without warning, the floor of the hall begins to curl in on itself like a carpet being rolled up. "Haaaaaa!" Yukina shouted as the floor rose up and loomed over Lisa's head threatening to fall atop her. Lisa dodges by retreating into a room and the curling floor rolls away instead colliding with part of the third floor above. The second floor hall now largely floorless, Yukina jumps down to the first floor hall underneath. "How about we bring you down a level!?" Yukina shouts again and pulls the second floor under Lisa down to the first and her blonde enemy with it. More dust blows out and fills the ever-widening space inside the high school.

"T-Take this!" Lisa shouts aiming her skull staff and ejecting from it an astral-like projection shaped like a fishing net. Yukina lobs chunks of the school at the projection and the projection wraps around the chunks as though ensnaring them. Yukina leaves Lisa no chance to follow up: she pulls the wall beside Lisa down, three stories high and just as wide, with her telekinesis hoping to flatten the blonde witch. The wall along with a part of the attached roof of the school falls over Lisa. A loud crash and crumble follows, dust and rubble expels out in all directions as the wide space inside the school is exposed to the open air. After the thick dust had cleared, many students outside could now see into the building. Inside, they find Yukina and Lisa covered in dust from head to foot. Yukina was on all fours regaining her breath, the glow of her markings dimming. Lisa had a weakening pentagram floating above her head which had protected her from the wall dropped on her, a hole punched through it by said pentagram. Lisa was by now holding herself up with her staff.

"There they are... They were the ones who started fighting..." A few students accused in whispers. The other students and faculty outside could only stare terrified. They were also having a hard time accepting that such destruction was at the hands of such petite women.

"I'm... going to... cough koff... win this" Yukina wheezed as she coughed out some dust. Yukina then began to crawl toward Lisa, her hated enemy.

"No... victory... aghk koff... is mine" Lisa retorts as she inched toward Yukina. "Looks... like we're both spent" Lisa observed.

"Then let's... settle this... the old-fashioned way!" Yukina declares when they both finally close the distance, both their fists balled. Just as they're about to strike flesh, a voice objects loudly and angrily.

"Stop!" Yukinari objected, a hand raised up in defiance. "What the hell is wrong with the both of you!?" he demanded as a pent up guilt boiled up into anger.

"He-he's yelling at those girls!", "Is he crazy!?", "Damn! Yukinari's got balls!", "No, he's got a death wish!" some of the students whispered back and forth.

"I leave the room for a few minutes and the both of you are trying to kill each other and a part of the school is destroyed!" Yukinari continued angrily.

"B-but she insulted our Seikon markings!" Yukina accuses.

"Sh-she insulted magic and its history!" Lisa accused back.

"Knock it off, the both of you!" Yukinari disciplines quickly. He then seizes one of Lisa's hands and one of Yukina's. "Now I want you two to make up and shake on it!" Yukinari commands forcefully as he pulls their hands close together. Had it been anyone else, both girls would have refused outright to shake but since it was Yukinari making the demands, his face looking at the two with indignation, the girls agree. They shake hands very firmly and glare at each other venomously. "Apologize" Yukinari commands heavily.

"I, I'm sorry" Yukina breathes through clenched teeth.

"You should b-"

"Lisa!" Yukinari interrupts.

"...I, I'm sorry too" Lisa returns sourly.

"Very good" Yukinari compliments. "Now the two of you should help in cleaning up this mess" Yukinari orders. "Think of this as punishment. Now get to work!" Yukinari commands pointing at the collapsed building and rubble. Yukina obeys Yukinari's word and approaches the collapsed portion of Mizuno High. With still weakened Seikon telekinesis, she slowly begins to pile up and organize the debris.

"Yukinari, you could just scold me further if you want to punish me. I won't learn my lesson if you don't scold me" Lisa lied lustfully. "Or better yet, I'll let you do anything you want to me!... Anything..."

"Lisa.." Yukinari moans as he continued pointing at the mess. Lisa departs with a disappointed grumble and joins Yukina in cleaning up. Spontaneously, a number of the students begin to applaud. Those who didn't only stared at the two girls and their supernatural abilities. "Uum... thanks I guess?" Yukinari thanked humbly turning towards the applauding students. Kirie, Seiichirou, and Miharu join his side.

"Good going Yukinari!" Kirie praised.

"That was something else Sasaki" Seiichirou adds.

"Wonderful!" Miharu cheered as she too applauded.

"I didn't really do anything..." Yukinari said humbly. "I probably could have prevented this if we had stayed in class." Yukinari regretted. Turning back toward Yukina and Lisa, Yukinari and everyone else notice they had been joined by other people: Yukina had been joined by her subordinate Hijiri and Lisa by her assistants Hayate and Kosame. They stared each other down frigidly.

"Oh no!" Yukinari thought believing they were about to start another wider war.

"Mistress Yukina, I sense you would like to go home" Hijiri suggests grasping Yukina's shoulders firmly. As she did so, she glared at Kosame with piercing yellow eyes and Kosame simply glared back.

"No but having to clean this up is making me want to" Yukina said.

"Nonsense! You're an ambassador! You don't have to clean this up!" Hijiri assured.

"I don't?" Yukina voiced optimistically.

"Mistress Lisa, your father will not be pleased hearing of this" Hayate directed at Lisa.

"I know. I dread that almost as much as having to clean this up" Lisa answered.

"Then let us go" Hayate suggested.

"Lets" Lisa agreed.

"Wait! You can't just leave!" the principal, a short, fat, balding man with a gray mustache interjected stepping forward from the masses of students and faculty. "You have to pay for all this damage!" he complained indicating the collapsed part of the school.

"Diplomatic immunity" Hijiri excused as she lead Yukina off of school grounds.

"D-d-diplomatic i-immunity!?" the principal sputtered in distress. He then turns to Lisa rubbing his palms, his look of distress morphing into a wide grin. "Miss Fukuyama, I expect your father will compensate for the damages, both to the school and to my 'peace of mind' right?"

"Yeah yeah yeah" Lisa confirmed swiftly, "you'll get your repairs and your bribe!" she said causing the principal to flinch at the loud use of the word 'bribe'.

"Th-thank you Miss Fukuyama! Thank you!" the principal thanked bowing repeatedly. With that, Lisa and her assistants disappear into thin air. "What are you all looking at!?" the principal spat at the students. "School's dismissed until further notice!" he barked quickly to several cheers from the students who quickly made to grab their things and leave the school campus.

-TRANSITION-

Yukinari, Kirie, Seiichirou, and Miharu all arrive back at Yukinari's house, all feeling somewhat drained after the day. Entering first, Yukinari collapses atop his couch, Kirie collapsing alongside him. Seiichirou and Miharu do the same on another piece of furniture. "What a crazy day!" Kirie sighed kicking her shoes off and leaning on her boyfriend.

"We're home! Thank goodness!" Yukinari said lying back against his couch.

"Welcome back!" Koyomi greeted after greeting Seiichirou and Miharu.

"How was your day?" Yukina, wearing a new clean set of clothes, asked standing beside Koyomi and Tomoka.

"Crazy, absolutely cra-" Kirie stops.

"Yukina, what are you doing here!?" Yukinari asked greatly surprised.

"I just wanted to thank you all" Yukina reveals.

"Oh... Well, you're very welcome" Yukinari said. "For what exactly I have no clue" he thought to himself.

"Do you have to go back?" Miharu asked.

"I'm afraid so. My position within the Space Management Bureau is a heavy responsibility. I swear I will visit you guys however!" Yukina assured. "I was just hoping you guys would see me off!"

"Of course!" Miharu replies. "Let's go everyone!" she said jumping up and together with Koyomi and Tomoka followed Yukina upstairs to the bath room. Yukinari, Kirie, and Seiichirou look at each other.

"Let's get this over with" Yukinari said and the three join those upstairs. Yukina, Yukinari, Kirie, Seiichirou, Miharu, Koyomi, Tomoka, and Ebi all meet up in the bath room. Alongside Yukina stood an intimidating Hijiri.

"Good bye Yukinari!" Yukina said laying a surprise kiss on Yukinari's cheek. Yukinari only grinned nervously fearing Kirie's reaction. Kirie simply raised an annoyed eyebrow.  
>"Kirie, I wish I could have gotten to know you better today! Next time, I swear we'll do a bunch of things together!" Yukina assured.<p>

"S-sure" Kirie agreed.

"Miharu! You were a wonderful hostess today! When I visit again, let's become awesome friends and let me have a taste of your cooking!"

"Of course! I-I'm going to miss you so much!" Miharu answers with a powerful hug, her eyes watering.

"No need for waterworks! I'll visit again! And Seiichirou, take good care of your little sister! You seem like an incredible brother and gallant fellow Seirenian!" Yukina said shaking Seiichirou's hand.

"Of course! My family and fellow Seirenians are very important to me!" Seiichirou declared heavily.

"Koyomi, Tomoka! Please be my guides next time I visit Earth!" Yukina requested. Kirie nods desperately. "I feel hearing your persepectives would be ideal for me!"

"It would be an honor!" Koyomi responded.

"Leave it to Tomo!" Tomoka squeaks.

"And Ebi!" Yukina finally said.

"Nyah?" Ebi responds tilting her head to one side.

"I want you to come along wherever I go when I visit again okay?" Yukina said caressing Ebi's hair.

"Nyah nyah!" Ebi agrees. Hijiri, Yukina's subordinate, approaches Yukinari's bath tub and by dropping an aqua bell, a small, metallic sphere used to open portals between Seiren and Earth into the tub, she does just that. Hijiri steps into the portal and disappears into the water. Yukina then steps into the bath.

"I'll see you guys later! Hopefully soon!" Yukina said as she descended into the portal.

"Goodbye!" everyone else bade farewell.

"By the way! Yukinari and I are together now!" Kirie reveals bluntly.

"Kirie!" Yukinari gasps.

"Sorry Yukinari. I couldn't take it anymore!" Yukina stares at Kirie through a dead and tense silence.

"...Are you? Well, that explains this morning! The way you guys were asleep, your arms wrapped around each other. Anyways, let me know when you're not busy with him okay? Don't keep him all to yourself" Yukina asked paralyzing Yukinari and Kirie with shock. Yukina finally disappears into the portal and the portal disappears shortly after.

"I'm going to miss her so much!" Miharu whined weepy-eyed.

"Don't worry Miharu. She'll return one day" Seiichirou assured cheering Miharu up.

"Di-did we miss something?" Yukinari and Kirie both ask Koyomi in unison.

"Oh!.. Uh... I believe it may have to do with how many Seiren girls have been known to share boys since they're quite rare on Seiren" Koyomi reveals.

"Whaa-!?" Yukinari and Kirie gasp. They then recall that Yukina had accused Lisa of hogging Yukinari though they did not pay particular attention to it.

"Yes, most Earthlings find it quite odd" Koyomi said as Yukinari and Kirie collapse on the floor feeling exhausted.

"No! My all-woman paradise!" Fukuyama shouted barging into the bath room, his clothes tattered as though he had gone through a car crash. He runs to the bath and sobs goofily. "Come back Yukina!" he wailed.

"Tomo's promotion! Tomo forgot all about it! No!" Tomoka screeched joining Fukuyama. "Please come back!" Koyomi begins to back away from the sobbing blonde hoping to leave without him noticing.

"Oh well! I'll settle for you my lovely Koyomi!" Fukuyama sung wrapping his long arms around Koyomi. "Kiss me!"

"Nooo!" Koyomi wails holding Fukuyama's face back, her palms firmly planted on the pervert's face.

"We've had enough trouble for one day you bastard!" Seiichirou growls cracking his knuckles. "Let her go this instant you sick-" Seiichirou stops as he watched smoke rising out from Fukuyama's face under Koyomi's palms.

"Aaaaaaaahh" Fukuyama screamed in pain. "My face! My face!" he complained releasing Koyomi and clutching at his face. "It burns!" he shouts, red palms seemingly painted on his face, the hair product in his blonde locks bursting into flames. "Aaaaaahhh! Not my beautiful face!" he shouts looking into a mirror. "Not my perfect hair!"

"Wha-!?" Koyomi exclaims looking at her palms which were colored red. "What is this!?" She then recalls the burning ink that her palms were laced with. "Is this what it does?" she ponders as she watches Fukuyama panicking. The pervert then leaps into the tub extinguishing the fire and relieving the burning sensation in his face.

"Haaa... Relief" Fukuyama sighs lying in the tub.

"What the hell was that just now!?" Kirie asked bewildered.

"I'd like to know too" Fukuyama said feeling his scalp. "M-my hair... M-my beautiful hair" he mumbled weakly.

"Time to dispose of the perv!" Seiichirou declares pulling Fukuyama out of the tub and tossing him out a second floor window.

"Gaahh!" Fukuyama lands on the front lawn, his hair singed and he coughs up a spark plug before passing out on the spot. Seiichirou makes his way back to the bath room to find Yukinari and Kirie collapsed on the floor sleeping. Koyomi was lying down, she too unconscious.

"Big brother, I'm feeling sleepy" Miharu said yawning. "I'm going to lie down" Miharu said lying on the floor and descending into sleep just as quickly.

"What?" Tomoka asked standing there looking up at Seiichirou.

"Tomoka, I'm... going to lie down... I'm feeling tired too" he said taking a seat on the floor next to Miharu and falling asleep. Now only Tomoka and Ebi remained standing.

"Hehehe" Tomoka snickered pulling out Koyomi's water gun. "Bunch of noisy teenagers!" she complained. "They need their rest anyways! Come Ebi! Let us go play outside!" Ebi backed away shaking her head. "Fine! Stay here! Tomo doesn't care!" Tomoka dismissed and she exited the bath room. Now Ebi stood alone, everyone else asleep on the floor. She approaches Yukinari and Kirie and snuggles up to them and soon, she too is fast asleep.

Author commentary: I am feeling exhausted and I'm behind on school work! I don't know when I'll be updating again but rest assured that it will happen! I'll still be watching YT videos since they can be viewed hands-free (for those thinking I was slacking off and just wasting time on YT instead of writing this fanfic, I actually view vids as I type this fanfic and do homework and work out and such. Also, when I type, sometimes I just stare at the screen as I brainstorm hence the delay). I just need to tend to school work! As of now, I'm thinking of uploading shorter chapters but again, school and work are unpredictable. If you wish to speak to me, leaving anonymous reviews is not the best way: feel free to PM me if you wish either through FF or through YT (username June28July). Anyways, thank you so much for your patience and for reading and for reviews! Until next time!


	28. Chapter 28

Season 3 Episode 52: Field Trip Bravo!

"There you are... Big brother, wake up!" Lisa commands kicking Fukuyama in the ribs.

"Urghh!" Fukuyama grunts from the pain of Lisa's kick. He is roused from unconsciousness and, looking around, he finds himself lying down in front of Yukinari's house. "L-Lisa!? What's going on?"

"Mom and dad want you home" Lisa notifies.

"Why am I lying here? Was I sleeping here!?" Fukuyama asked wiping drool off his face. "How long was I out!?" he asked noticing the early hours.

"Come big brother" Lisa commanded.

"Hey!... I-I asked a question! I expect an answer!" Fukuyama said coarsely.

"Jeez! How am I supposed to know!?" Lisa answers crossing her arms. "I'm not responsible for tracking all your movements!"

"Pu-Punynari's house?" Fukuyama mutters standing and squinting up at the Sasaki residence. "What the hell am I doing here?"

"What's with all the questions?" Lisa asks irritated. "Just shut up and get home!"

"Oh, that's right! Koyomi and I were having a great time! She must still be in there waiting for me!" Fukuyama convinced himself. "No need to fret Koyomi! Sorry for keeping you waiting!" he sings walking proudly toward the front door of the Sasaki residence. "Gah!"

"Oh no you don't!" Lisa interrupts, her bodyguards catching Fukuyama by the neck of his uniform. "From the looks of things, I think you've harassed her enough."

"W-what do you mean by the looks of things?"

"I don't know if you've noticed but your hair's burned so I'm guessing you tried to get to her again! Serves you right actually" Lisa chastised. "Just be glad you got to water before you burst into flames!"

"Wha-? ..Tha-that thing with her palms, you must've been teaching her that the other day!" Fukuyama realized in shock.

"Yes as a matter of fact!" Lisa answers proudly.

"H-how could you do that against your own big brother? Your own flesh and blood!?"

"When he's a stubborn, stupid pervert who's harassing a helpless girl, it's pretty easy to work against him!" Lisa quips.

"L-Lisaa..." Fukuyama moans.

"Enough talk. Come! Mother and father would like to have a word with you concerning what has taken place yesterday at school" Lisa said leading the way.

"What? What happened at school yesterday?" Fukuyama asked following, Lisa's bodyguards tailing them both.

-TRANSITION-

"Yukinari, wake up" Kirie whispered rousing Yukinari from his slumber.

"H-huh?" Yukinari mumbles sitting up from the bath room floor to find Kirie holding a sleeping Ebi in her arms. Looking around, he finds Seiichirou and Miharu sleeping against the wall, Koyomi sleeping similarly nearby. "What's going on?"

"That's a good question" Kirie said. "I just woke up and I found us this way. From what I can recall, we passed out yesterday while... Yukina was leaving... and then Fukuyama barged in... Koyomi did something... I, I don't know." Yukinari yawns as he rubs one of his eyes.

"...Well, yesterday was rather crazy. Maybe it tired us out?" Yukinari suggested as he stretched his limbs.

"So we fell asleep on the bath room floor? All of us together?" Kirie said incredulously. Yukinari could only shrug at this. "We should wake the others up" Kirie said and with that, she and Yukinari wake the others and explain what they believed had happened yesterday evening.

"But how is it possible that we all lost consciousness at around the same time?" Seiichirou asked after revealing he fell asleep moments right after the others had. "And how long have we been out for?"

"T-Tomoka" Koyomi mutters weakly.

"Yeah, where is she?" Kirie asked with eyes narrowed. After putting a sleeping Ebi to bed, they all make their way down to the living room. Downstairs, they discover a snoring, drooling Tomoka covered in crumbs, the television broadcasting infomercials, and several food wrappers dumped all over the floor and the food-stained couch. In the kitchen, milk is spilled on the table and several soiled dishes sat atop it. To Miharu's dismay, empty snack boxes were strewn about the kitchen floor. At Tomoka's side on the couch lied Koyomi's water gun. "Well well well, this certainly would explain a few things" Kirie said unsurprised. She takes the water gun and wakes Tomoka up.

"..H-huh!?" Tomoka groans as she is roused from her slumber.

"Have a good sleep?" Kirie asks resentfully and then points the water gun at Tomoka.

"Gah! Wha-what's the deal boob monster!? Don't point that at Tomo!" Tomoka protests putting her hands up.

"You put us to sleep didn't you!? Care to explain yourself?" Kirie accused heavily. Standing behind her stood Miharu, Seiichirou, Koyomi, and Yukinari adding greater authority to her words.

"Tomoka put us to sleep? With a water gun?" Seiichirou voiced confused.

"Bit of a long story" Yukinari whispers.

"S-so what!? I-it's not like you're hurt or anything!" Tomoka retaliated.

"We're gonna be late for school because of you!" Kirie accuses. "Well? Aren't you going to apologize?" Kirie continues forcefully.

"For what!? Tomo didn't hurt anyone" Tomoka dismissed. "And besides, serves you right for using it on Tomo!" Kirie is taken aback by this response.

"Okay... So I did. I'm sorry I did that to you Tomoka" Kirie apologizes sincerely.

"You should be!" Tomoka exclaimed.

"Do you accept my apology?"

"Yes!" Tomoka squeaks.

"Okay, good! Now just apologize to everyone else. You were quite rude to them knocking them out" Kirie says. "Not to mention the mess you've made!" Tomoka freezes at this, a growing sense of guilt welling up in her as accusatory eyes in the room all focus on the short, young Space Travel Agent.

"B-but they're not hurt s-so it's okay" Tomoka shrugs off feeling surrounded and turns away. Kirie gives her an annoyed look and then lets out a long sigh.

"It's not a big deal Kirie" Seiichirou whispers Kirie's way.

"It's a matter of principle. I apologized so she should apologize too" Kirie retorts and her stand off with Tomoka continues.

"...Sasaki, Miharu and I are heading home. Miharu needs to get ready for school" Seiichirou directs at Yukinari suddenly.

"Alright, I'll see you around" Yukinari responds.

"Sure. Goodbye everyone" Seiichirou says waving and he proceeds outside. Everyone responds appropriately save for Tomoka who is still turned away.

"Goodbye Yukinari! Goodbye Kirie! Goodbye Koyomi! Goodbye Tomoka! Goodbye Ebi!" Miharu sung bouncily from the front door. Everyone waves back and Miharu runs after her older brother outside.

"You know, we don't have this kind of time: we need to get ready for school" Kirie notes glancing up at the clock on the wall. She and Yukinari immediately mobilize and several minutes later, Yukinari and Kirie are at the front door ready to head for school. "Alright Koyomi, Ebi, Tomoka, we'll see you later."

"I'll look over the house like always. Have a great day at school!" Koyomi says waving.

"Yeah, we will Koyomi. Thank you" Yukinari answers.

"Tomoka, I'll expect the mess in the living room and the kitchen to be cleaned up by the time we get back, okay?" Kirie declared.

"G-got it!" Tomoka said loudly still turned away but now sitting on the floor of the living room, her arms crossed.

"I'm glad to hear that" Kirie said and with that, she and Yukinari set off.

"Don't you think you were a little rough on Tomoka Kirie?" Yukinari posed as he walked beside Kirie, their hands joined.

"No way. She's got to learn some manners. I apologized to her and so she should have apologized as well. Not only to me but everyone else" Kirie chastised.

"That makes sense I suppose" Yukinari agreed.

"Not to mention how she carries herself as a guest! I mean the way we found her sleeping on the couch, television left on, the mess around her!" Kirie recalled. "I hope she'll have the mess cleaned up entirely by the time we get back from school. That's how a grown up would carry herself!"

"But Tomoka's a child Kirie."

"Yeah. You try telling her that and she'll gnaw your ear off" Kirie finished. Moments later, she and Yukinari arrive at school only to find small crowds of students standing before the front gates of the school campus. Approaching, they and the rest of the students are informed that classes had been canceled for a day as a result of yesterday's destruction and thus conclude Miharu and Seiichirou must have headed home.

"Canceled?" Yukinari and Kirie, standing outside the front gate, said in unison.

"Th-that's right. Canceled for c-clearing and cleaning" an out-of-breath Mamoru Machida, standing on the other side of the gate, reveals heaving large chunks of rubble around as he helped clean up. "Also, because of yesterday, many parents have grown concerned for the school's structural integrity so authorities are confirming that the school is up to code" he explains, his back turned to the couple.

"You don't say" Kirie breathed excitedly.

"Yep! Of course I told them about the two young girls, a blonde magically-able witch and a tattooed telekinetic girl I heard was from another world, damaging the school yesterday but they refuse to take me seriously. I can't fathom why" the cleanliness-obsessed student in a Mamo Ranger outfit pondered. "In any case... w-where'd you guys go?" Mamoru asked out loud as he turned to find Yukinari and Kirie had long parted.

"School's been canceled! Isn't it great Yukinari!?" Kirie said ecstatically.

"Seems appropriate considering the day before" Yukinari agreed. "We've got the whole day to ourselves!"

"So what should we do?" Kirie asked optimistically.

"I don't know, where do you feel like going?" Yukinari inquired.

"Hmmm" Kirie thought for a moment. "Yukinari, there's a new yogurt place I've been wanting to try out. You wanna go?" Kirie asked.

"Sounds like a date Kirie" Yukinari responds and they both proceed to Mizuno's shopping district. Yukinari and Kirie arrived at the new yogurt place, a place called Hajime Kanzaki's Delight, after a short but brisk walk during which Kirie was talking about a thrilling episode of 'Forensic Investigators' she had recently watched. Upon entering, they line up behind other customers momentarily before it was their turn to submit their order.

"Hello! Welcome to Hajime Kanzaki's Delight!" a girl wearing a white apron and about their age greeted over the counter. "How may I help you?"

"Two small blueberry yogurts please" Kirie requested.

"Make it a large blueberry cup with two servings of granola" Yukinari overruled after glancing at the menu behind the store employee.

"Yukinari?" Kirie voiced.

"We'll share it" Yukinari said as he paid for the large yogurt.

"Oh! Okay, sure!" Kirie giggles.

"Here you are. A large blueberry with two granola servings" the store employee said as she handed Yukinari's order to him. With order in hand, Yukinari and Kirie proceed to a table and take a seat cozying up affectionately to each other.

"So what happened Kirie? Who was the axe murderer?" Yukinari asks as he added the granola to the yogurt.

"Believe it or not, it was the son" Kirie reveals.

"The son!? That's awful!"

"I know!" Kirie agreed as Yukinari tasted the blueberry yogurt.

"Try it Kirie. It's delicious! It's the right amount of sweet" Yukinari comments and Kirie spoons a serving for herself.

"..That 'is' good! Wow!" Kirie concurs savoring the dairy treat.

"So what was the motive?" Yukinari said continuing the previous topic.

"The son wanted the life insurance money, simple as that" Kirie explains further. Yukinari eats a portion.

"The things people will do for money" Yukinari said shaking his head. "He hacked away at his own parents in their sleep.."

"Well the crazy doesn't end there" Kirie said eating another spoonful. "Remember how the father's body wasn't found in his bed?"

"Yeah, what was up with that? He was killed in his sleep with an axe wasn't he?"

"He was attacked with an axe in his sleep but he didn't die" Kirie said in an urgent voice right before scooping up some more yogurt. Yukinari stares back in disbelief.

"Go on Kirie, don't leave me in suspense" Yukinari complains.

"Well, the son hacked at his parents' heads causing severe brain damage" Kirie said causing Yukinari to shake his head again. "After the attack, neither the father nor the mother were dead, they were unconscious lying in their own blood and the father, get this, woke up the next morning."

"You're kidding me!"

"Nope" Kirie said. "He woke up and proceeded to making breakfast and getting the morning newspaper just as if it was any other day."

"With his head cut up!?"

"With his head cut up" Kirie confirms. Responding to the puzzled and shocked expression on her boyfriend's face, Kirie continues. "The parts of his brain that were damaged were the parts responsible for critical thinking and reasoning so he couldn't recognize that he was terribly injured. The parts of his brain that were spared were responsible for more basic functions like memory and morning habits. So the poor guy tried making breakfast and grabbing the morning newspaper with his head all bloodied..." Yukinari could do nothing but stare with eyebrows raised up high. "Tragically, he eventually succumbed to his wounds and hence his body was found out of bed."

"That is just so sad" Yukinari grieved. "...Damn..."

"...The mother survived even though they found her skull cracked and a part of her brain exposed... She was still conscious even when she was found!.. Really gets you thinking about how incredibly resilient the human body can be."

"Did they catch the guy responsible?"

"Yes, the son is serving a long time behind bars, thankfully" Kirie answered and with that, she finishes the last of the yogurt.

"Now I'm depressed, Kirie" Yukinari said downcast. "I'm glad the guy was caught but... it's sad that some people would so such things."

"Sorry.. Probably should have told you about something more cheerful" Kirie apologized. "It's a good show though and don't worry: the bad guys always get their comeuppance. We should watch it together next time" Kirie said.

"Your house or mine?"

"Whichever" Kirie answered.

"Sounds like a plan" Yukinari accepted and as though by instinct, the two kiss.

"...You know, this yogurt was pretty good" Kirie said setting the empty cup of yogurt on the table. "We should come here again sometime. Bring the others with us."

"Yeah..." Yukinari said resting his arms on the back of his seat. "Hey look Kirie. Miharu's across the street from here" Yukinari noticed looking out the window.

"Hey, so she is!" Kirie says looking out the same window.

"Wonder what she's up to?" Yukinari wondered.

"Let's go say hi, come on" Kirie said standing up.

"Alright, sure" Yukinari agrees. Making their way out, they both approach the pink-haired Seirenian girl.

"Hey, what's up Mih-" Kirie greets but is cut off by Miharu's palm.

"Shhh" Miharu hushes putting a finger up to her mouth.

"Miharu, what's going on?" Yukinari asked in a low voice.

"Right over here" Miharu said peering around a building. Yukinari and Kirie peer just the same and in the distance, they all spot Seiichirou, Miharu's older brother seemingly going about his day.

"What's up Miharu?" Kirie whispers.

"Look closely" Miharu said pointing. "Big brother has been reading the book about Lilica Stacy." Looking more closely, Yukinari and Kirie spot said book in Seiichirou's hands.

"I see" Kirie acknowledges.

"And I think big brother really wants to meet her again and I want to help him... But I'm not sure how to help him" Miharu said watching Seiichirou with a worried expression.

"But why the sneaking?" Yukinari asks Miharu.

"I've been wanting to surprise big brother by setting him up on a surprise date with Lilica" Miharu reveals. "I've been reading this book for advice" Miharu says pulling out a book entitled 'The Perfect Clothes, Tastiest Wine, and Best Locations to Surprise the Girl and then Nailin' Her in the Sack'. It was authored by, unsurprisingly, Kazuharu Fukuyama.

"I don't think that will work" Yukinari said with a humorous pessimism.

"Do you guys think you can help me?" Miharu asked politely as she skimmed the book.

"Of course we can Miharu" Kirie assured taking Fukuyama's book from Miharu. "And we'll start by putting this depraved tripe away" Kirie said snapping the book shut.

"Oh, okay... Now what?" Miharu asks.

"We approach Lilica and ask her if she's interested" Kirie said plainly.

"Simple enough" Yukinari agrees. "So then, let's go" Yukinari says turning in the direction of the Fukuyama Estate before he is seized by the collar of his uniform and halted. "Kirie?"

"Let's tail Seiichirou a bit first" Kirie says grinning and chuckling to herself mischievously.

"What? Why?" Yukinari asks.

"C'mon, it should be fun!" Kirie tempts.

"Fun how?"

"The irony! It's so good! Miharu's older brother likes beating his chest but maybe there's a soft, vulnerable side to him?" Kirie posed.

"Yes, there is: her name is Miharu" Yukinari answers cleverly.

"Look! Big brother is standing in front of a flower shop!" Miharu squeals ecstatically.

"Really!?" Kirie said whipping her gaze back Seiichirou's way. She spots Seiichirou standing in front of a store with flower pots in front of the entrance. "You think he's looking for flowers for Lilica!?" Kirie whispers masking an excitement in her own voice.

"That would be great!" Miharu exclaims with joy.

"Girls, is this really any of our business?" Yukinari asked though the girls seemed too absorbed by what they were doing to listen. "Wow, the girls are really into this" Yukinari did not fail to note.

In the distance, Seiichirou stood and stared at the front door to the flower shop, Lilica's biography firmly in one hand. He strongly considers buying a bouquet of flowers as Lilica's words echo in his head: "Just come over to Master's estate whenever you have the chance and I'll tell you whatever you'd like." With that recollection, Seiichirou loses his nerve and walks away.

"What the hell is wrong with me? I, I can't muster up the courage to go talk to her!" Seiichirou criticized himself. This was especially surprising to him considering he had grown up with two sisters and in Seiren where the majority of the population was female. Even the sight of an erotic store, which in his opinion objectified women, didn't anger him anymore: not when Lilica's face kept popping up on the faces of the models. Now they just freaked him out.

"Ohh, big brother is not going inside" Miharu moaned pitying Lilica and her brother as he walked off. "Lilica won't be getting any flowers..." she said sadly.

"Well that's disappointing" Kirie remarks. "Whatever... Come on Miharu, let's go set things up" she says as she walked toward the Fukuyama Estate.

"Okay" Miharu agrees and follows. "Let's go Yukinari."

"Yeah yeah" Yukinari agrees somewhat reluctantly and he caught up with the other two.

-TRANSITION-

"Miss Nina, I think I'm in love!" Seiichirou blurts out walking into the UFC. Nina is taken aback by Seiichirou's blunt announcement, her glasses sliding halfway down her nose as she was busying herself with a book. Standing inside the same room was Masashi though Seiichirou failed to notice him at first.

"What in the hell!?" Nina blurts back from behind the front counter. "At least announce yourself before you come barging in!" she chastises pushing her glasses back up.

"Hey there Seiichirou" Masashi greets.

"Oh! Hey there" Seiichirou greets back.

"So you've got your eyes on a girl eh? So who's the lucky lady?" Masashi asks. "If you don't mind me asking that is." At this, Seiichirou sets 'My Fair Maid!', the book in his hand, down on the counter for Nina and Masashi to see.

"Lilica Stacy" Seiichirou reveals.

"Well well well" Nina says picking up the book and looking at the picture of Lilica, Fukuyama's maid. "So this is the lady?"

"Well, she's certainly pretty" Masashi comments.

"But she's years older than you" Nina said reading.

"So?" Seiichirou counters. "Not 'that' many years!"

"And she works for that blonde sicko we encountered at the beach" Nina recalls.

"Tch! That sicko's no obstacle... So Miss Nina, what should I do?"

"Go see her" Nina answers. "Let her know how you feel."

"Easier said than done" Masashi answers.

"No! I mean how do I get rid of this feeling. I don't want to feel like this" Seiichirou complains. "It makes me feel weak... and... and all fuzzy inside." Nina and Masashi look at him for a few seconds. "So? How do I stop this madness!?"

"Well, you could have your testicles removed" Nina suggests.

"That would work" Masashi agrees to Seiichirou's annoyance.

"And while you're at it" Nina continues, "you could have your stomach removed and you'll never be hungry again..." Seiichirou glares at her. "I'm only kidding of course. Just go see her and admit your feelings. Chances are, she'll turn you down, your heart will break, you'll get over it and that'll be that... Or maybe you'll get lucky? Who knows?"

"No way! I'm not doing that" Seiichirou complains.

"What's the matter? You had no trouble admitting it to me" Nina said.

"Or me" Masashi adds.

"Could it be? Are you shy!?" Nina gasps. She pinches Seiichirou's cheek playfully. "How adorable! Look Masashi, he's blushing!"

"Kn-knock it off!" Seiichirou exclaims backing away. "J-just forget I asked anything okay!" Seiichirou said storming out.

"He asked for advice" Nina told Masashi after Seiichirou had gone.

"If I may say, you were a bit rough Miss Nina. The guy did seem sincere when he said he was in love" Masashi said.

"You know, the nosy, mischievous side of me wants to trail him and see what happens next" Nina reveals.

"What about your compassionate side?" Masashi asked.

"Her? I haven't heard from her in a looong time" Nina said. Masashi nods heartily at this. "What are you nodding at?"

"N-nothing" Masashi answers swiftly.

-TRANSITION-

"What the hell am I gonna do?" Seiichirou asked himself walking through the shopping district. As he did so, his eyes land on a billboard advertising bras and Lilica's face forces itself mockingly on the model's head. "Gah! Kn-knock it off!" he growls rubbing harshly at his eyes and attracting a few weirded out glances around him. "What the hell is wrong with me!?" The ringing from his cell phone suddenly disrupts the conflict raging in his mind. "Hello?" Seiichirou answers.

"Big brother, guess what!" Miharu's voice responds from the other end.

"What? Miharu, where are you? You're at home right now right?"

"No big brother, I'm out with Yukinari and Kirie" Miharu reveals.

"Miharu, you're supposed to tell me before going out anywhere" Seiichirou disciplines. A pause takes place peppered with Miharu's giggling as though someone in the background were whispering something humorous to her.

"I, I'm sorry big brother! But I have good news: Yukinari wants a rematch!"

"Sasaki wants a rematch!? Haha! So he's finally mustered up the courage! Alright, when and where?"

"Yura's Gourmet, 30 minutes. One of my favorites!" Miharu answers.

"You tell Sasaki I'll be there!" Seiichirou assures.

"Make sure to wear something fancy!" Kirie's voice comes through right before the line is severed.

"Wear something fancy? What the hell?" Seiichirou muttered to himself. Of course he ignored the part about his attire and showed up only a few minutes later at Yura's Gourmet. Looking around the fancy restaurant, he spots several restaurant goers but none of them were Yukinari. "I'm here early" he reminded himself as he took a seat and began to wait.

"Good morning sir. May I take your order?" a waiter said standing by him, a notepad in hand.

"No thank you, I'm waiting for someone" Seiichirou said.

"Understood sir" the waiter said and he withdrew.

"Are you sure?" a feminine voice asked from behind him. Turning around, he beholds a frightening sight: Lilica Stacy dressed in an elegant evening dress, an expensive designer bag hanging from her left shoulder, glittering diamond earrings adorning her ears. To Seiichirou, she looked absolutely stunning: like an actress out of a restaurant scene in a Hollywood movie.

"Gaahh!" Seiichirou exclaims taken by complete surprise.

"...That was not the exact reaction I was aiming for" Lilica responds daintily taking a seat at the same table. "Is my dress that jarring? Maybe I overdressed?"

"I, I'm sorry, what are you doing here?" Seiichirou asked.

"I'm here for our date" Lilica says.

"O-our date!? Wh-what are you talking about!?" Seiichirou demands angrily.

"Don't you recall? We agreed to meeting up yesterday, right here at this exact time."

"I should have known it was too good to be true" Seiichirou said recalling the phone call he received earlier. "I'm sorry but I'm out of here" Seiichirou said standing up from his seat.

"Sit!" Lilica commands aggressively, her eyes glaring at Seiichirou sharply. Seiichirou, by some sort of reflex, plants himself back down. After he did so, Lilica places her bag on her lap, Seiichirou spotting her painted red nails in the process, and smiles at Seiichirou across the table. A silence ensues during which Seiichirou could feel beads of sweat forming on his face.

"Why are you doing this?" Seiichirou asked after the awkward silence.

"Your little sister, she's absolutely adorable!"

"Miharu? What does my little sister have to do with-"

"I'm doing her a favor" Lilica explained.

"She put you up to this?"

"Yes, she wanted to set us up on a date. She was lovably straightforward about it" Lilica said. "She just walked up to me outside the grounds of the Fukuyama Estate and asked me to go out with you on a blind date."

"I'm terribly sorry!" Seiichirou apologized. "My sister can be a bit blunt and naive at times."

"It's no problem at all, really! She was terribly cute doing it!" Lilica said beaming. "I then told her what a blind date was and how telling me about it defeated the purpose of a blind date! She only tilted her head at this" Lilica said chuckling. "So anyways, it would be best if you'd just enjoy yourself. You don't want to disappoint your little sister do you?"

"Why would you agree to this?"

"Kirie, the brunette who had accompanied your little sister, was very adamant about my owing Miharu a favor after helping Master inconvenience you all with his plans. And I just couldn't say 'no' to your younger sister."

"I, I can relate to that" Seiichirou agreed. "So, so I guess this is a date?"

"Yes" Lilica said making Seiichirou tense up further. "You look upset."

"What am I supposed to do?" Seiichirou asked tensed. "I've never been on a date before!"

"Hmhmhm" Lilica chuckled. "Well right now, we would be ordering something to eat" Lilica said, "but I'd much rather be doing something else right now. You wouldn't mind if I choose where we go and what we do for our date would you?"

"Not at all" Seiichirou said swiftly still coping with the realization he was on a date with Lilica.

"Alright then, let us go!" Lilica said walking out, Seiichirou following behind. "Aren't you going to offer me your arm?" Lilica asked as they walked together.

"My arm?" Seiichirou asked.

"Like this" Lilica said pulling Seiichirou's arm and wrapping her own arm around it. "May I remind you that you are my date?"

"Oh! R-right" Seiichirou said still as uncomfortable as ever.

"Let's take a stroll shall we?" Lilica suggested.

"Y-yeah..." Seiichirou answers. "Miharu, what have you gotten me into?" Seiichirou pleaded in his mind as he was lead away.

-TRANSITION-

"Success!" Miharu cheered sitting inside a limo parked across the street opposite Yura's Gourmet. "They're out on their date! Did you guys see big brother!? He looked so happy!"

"He looked petrified" Kirie contradicted. "He's not such a macho tough guy now though!" Kirie grinned.

"So now that we're successful, we can go home right?" Yukinari asked not feeling too interested.

"Yeah, I guess our part is done" Kirie said. "Although part of me wanted to see him squirm!.. Oh well..."

"Thank you so much guys! I really appreciate it!" Miharu thanked.

"No worries Miharu, it's what friends are for!" Kirie said. Just as they were all about to exit the limo, Miharu spots someone in the distance.

"Hey look guys, it's Fukuyama" Miharu said.

"Fukuyama?" Yukinari and Kirie say in unison. Looking in the direction Miharu was, they spot Fukuyama approaching their very limo.

"Quick, hide!" Kirie breathes after locking the doors and all three duck into a blind spot inside the limo. To their benefit, the windows were heavily tinted. Fukuyama, upon closing the distance, attempts to open a door only to find it locked.

"What's my limo doing here? Who would dare seize my property!?" he demanded. "No driver?" Fukuyama learned after approaching the driver's window. His eyes shift toward Yura's Gourmet and he heads in its direction. "Ladies and gentleman" Fukuyama announces before the restaurant goers upon entering, "I'm looking for a woman by the name of Lilica Stacy" he said pulling out a photo of his maid. "I have reason to suspect she might have been in here moments ago. Do any of you have information on where she might have gone?" The restaurant goers ignore him too busy enjoying their meal.

"Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave" the waiter, a tall, impeccably-dressed man with an expertly trimmed mustache said approaching. Fukuyama, though offended he had been ignored and the waiter hadn't recognized him, disregards the waiter and takes a look around the high-end restaurant. He observes how well the clientele was dressed and how they carried themselves civilly as they ate their meals. "Fakes" he muttered and pulled out a thick wad of money from his jacket which he tosses into the air. It scatters all around the restaurant.

"Th-those are 10,000 yen bills!" a man in the restaurant shouts and, without delay, everyone dives for the floor knocking over tables, tossing chairs out of the way violently, dishes and cutlery flying off of tables.

"It's mine!" a pudgy man shouts taking a swing at another customer.

"Let go lady!" another man with a beard exclaims.

"I saw it first you bastard!" a woman in magenta shouts back.

"Get off! Get off!" the waiter shouts, he too joining the scuffle. "It's mine!"

"I'm looking for this woman!" Fukuyama shouts over the loud noises of the massive pile of people in the middle of the restaurant, Lilica's photo in his hand. "I have more if you can tell me if you've seen her and where she's gone!" Fukuyama shouts pulling out another wad of cash.

"Sh-she went that way!" a man underneath a pile of bodies reveals.

"That's right" the waiter confirmed underneath two heavy patrons.

"Excellent! Here you are urchins" Fukuyama said tossing the money at the pile of bodies as though he were rewarding a pack of obedient dogs. "Buy yourselves some class!" Fukuyama insulted, his conceited chin up in the air. As the clientele continued to wreck the restaurant, chairs flying, fists swinging, Fukuyama exits and heads in the direction he had been pointed in.

"Looks like Fukuyama's giving chase" Kirie hissed. "I recognize that conniving look in his eye anywhere!"

"Kirie, what should we do?" Miharu said worried.

"Relax Miharu, we won't let him interfere" Kirie assured. "C'mon Yukinari. We gotta go keep an eye on Fukuyama" Kirie beckoned as she and Miharu exited the vehicle.

"Alright" Yukinari sighed and he followed. "This is to help Miharu" he reminded himself.

-TRANSITION-

"Have you ever gone hunting before?" Lilica asked as she and Seiichirou approached a large building with glass doors through which shelves and aisles of hunting and fishing equipment could be seen inside.

"No" Seiichirou answers. "What is this place?"

"This is the Fukuyama's hunting grounds" Lilica answers as she and Seiichirou entered the building and into a large room with a counter in front of them, an attendant behind it busily conversing on the phone.

"The Fukuyamas have their own hunting grounds?" Seiichirou asked incredulous. "They must be loaded!" he said looking at all the golden trophy displays and mounted animal heads hanging off the walls.

"Yeah, they're loaded" Lilica confirms.

"Good morning Miss Lilica!" the professionally dressed attendant at the counter greeted. "It's been a while Miss Lilica, how have you been?"

"I've been swell. And yourself?" Lilica asked.

"Very well, thank you" the attendant said before turning to Seiichirou. "Hello."

"Hello, nice to meet you" Seiichirou greeted.

"Joining Miss Lilica hunting today?"

"Yes and I have a partner accompanying me today" Lilica answers. "This man is Seiichirou and he will be needing hunting camo" Lilica instructs.

"Yes, understood" the attendant answers. She lifts the phone sitting at the front desk and moments later, to Seiichirou's shock, Lilica lifts her dress up and over her head.

"Wh-what are you doing!?" Seiichirou gasps as he catches sight of a moderately endowed Lilica in nothing but her bra and panties.

"Getting undressed, what does it look like?" Lilica returns. "I suggest you do the same. Makes it easier for the help here."

"You want me to get undressed?" Seiichirou repeated. Just then, he's approached by two attendants, one male and one female, camo outfit in hand.

"Will you please remove your shirt and pants sir?" the female attendant asked politely.

"N-no way" Seiichirou refused solidly.

"Just do it. It's not like there's anything wrong with nudity. It's absolutely trivial" Lilica says, her back turned as attendants held the camo pant legs for her to put her legs through. After Lilica does so, the attendants then tie her hair back into a ponytail all the while black boots are placed and tied on her feet. She is then given a body-sized leaf net to wear which, as the name implied, had leaves and foliage fastened to it.

"I refuse! It's indecent!" Just then, Seiichirou's protests halt when he spots the scars engraved on Lilica's back. Said scars are soon out of sight as the attendants, tending to Lilica as though she were loyalty, fit an army green tank top and camo jacket over her upper body and then get started with camo face paint. Seiichirou pulls his shirt off and then his pants leaving him standing there in boxer shorts alone. The attendants next to him then get to work dressing him up similarly to Lilica.

"Well, that was a sudden change of heart" Lilica observed.

"You're right: there's nothing wrong with it" Seiichirou said. "It 'is' trivial."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that" Lilica said, a hunting rifle being slung over her shoulder. Unknown to her, the sight of her scars had been the thing that changed Seiichirou's opinion in an instant. Upon seeing such terrible markings, Seiichirou felt that after what Lilica must have been through in her past, getting nude was nothing. It had made him feel so petty and vain hence he undressed without hesitation. "You ready to go?" Lilica asks as finishing touches are applied to Seiichirou's camo face paint and he's supplied with a camo leaf net of his own.

"Yes, I'm ready" Seiichirou answers and both proceed out into the hunting grounds.

-TRANSITION-

Fukuyama had been tailing both his maid Lilica and her date Seiichirou all the way to the hunting grounds. Just as he was about to enter the building Seiichirou and Lilica had gone into, he is intercepted by Kirie and the others.

"K-Kirie? What in the hell are you doing here!?" Fukuyama sputtered after Kirie had blocked his path.

"Fukuyama, what are you up to following after Miharu's older brother!?" Kirie demands.

"I could be asking you similarly right now!" Fukuyama retorts. "Were you three following me!?" Fukuyama asked glaring at his pursuers.

"Oh please Fukuyama, please don't get in big brother's way! He wants to find true love!" Miharu pleads with large, glassy eyes and hands clasped in front of her.

"I will not allow it! I'm sorry Miharu but-" Fukuyama suddenly stops and stares at the pink-haired Seirenian for an instant as though gears were squeaking and grinding somewhere in his head. "I'll tell you what Miharu. How's about you and I go into father's hunting grounds ourselves and check up on your big brother and Lilica? We could go and make sure they fall in love! What do you say?" Fukuyama asked sneaking an arm around Miharu.

"Oh that would be wonderful Fukuyama! Thank you! Let's go!" Miharu agrees as she's lead away. Just then, Yukinari grabs Fukuyama and puts him into a headlock.

"Punynari, what the hell!? Let go!" Fukuyama demanded.

"Nice try Fukuyama" Yukinari directs at the blonde under his arm.

"Don't try to pull a fast one on us!" Kirie chastised gripping Miharu's shoulders protectively.

"What's going on? I thought we were going to help big brother?" Miharu asks confused.

"We are, Miharu. By making sure Fukuyama doesn't get in the way" Yukinari said. "And I've got him right- where'd he go!?" Yukinari gasped as he found he no longer had Fukuyama in a headlock.

"He's always been a slippery bastard" Kirie grumbled. Having broken free, Fukuyama enters the hunting grounds resuming the pursuit of his maid and Miharu's older brother.

"Good morning Mr. Fukuyama!" the attendant at the front desk directs at the son of the hunting grounds' owner. "What brings you here this morning?"

"Don't let those three into the grounds!" he commands as he speeds through and out to the hunting grounds.

"Those three?" the attendant repeats. She then spots Kirie charging in, Miharu and Yukinari tailing her. "Halt!" she shouts standing up, a row of attendants assembling by her sides. "State your business!" she demands. Kirie comes to a stop at the sight of the attendants blocking her path.

"We, we're here to see someone! His name is Kazuharu Fukuyama and we need to tell him something very important! In person" Kirie was quick to lie hoping to be allowed through.

"Leave it with us: we'll pass it on to Mr. Fukuyama" the front desk attendant offered standing her ground.

"But we're the only ones who are authorized to know the message's contents" Kirie explained.

"Then I'm afraid you'll just have to sit and wait in the lobby" the attendant concluded.

"Why can't we just go in? We won't take long!" Kirie argued.

"Because the person you're trying to reach has instructed us not to let you through: as the son of the owner, his word overrules yours. I'm very sorry ma'am" the attendant said hoping to bring the matter to a close. For a brief instant, Kirie considered forcing her way through the attendants there right before Yukinari intervened.

"Come on Kirie. We can pass on the message some other time" Yukinari said walking next up to the brunette and putting an arm around her.

"But Yukinari-"

"Relax. We'll get in another way" Yukinari whispers. "We'll pass on the information at another time!" Yukinari says loudly and waves farewell. The attendant sits back down and her coworkers withdraw as Yukinari and his party exits.

"So Yukinari, what's the plan?" Kirie asked now following Yukinari outside and away from the building.

"I was thinking we could just scale the walls" Yukinari suggests pointing at the tall wall fence that enclosed the entirety of the hunting grounds.

"But the fencing is awfully high" Kirie observed. "At least 15 feet high!"

"Th-that's true..." Yukinari agreed rubbing his chin. "But I'm sure we can come up with something..."

"We could go fetch a ladder from your house" Kirie suggests.

"That might take too long" Yukinari pointed out. Yukinari and Kirie became lost in thought for a second before Miharu began pulling on Kirie's sleeve.

"Kirie, do you think we could use that?" Miharu asked pointing at a vehicle nearby stationed within the hunting grounds' parking lot. To their benefit, they spot a car with a ladder secured to it by rope. A moment of quiet arrives during which Yukinari and Kirie look at each other.

"...Well, it's not theft if we return it" Kirie said with confidence.

"Good going Miharu!" Yukinari praised and shortly after, he and Kirie got to work. Yukinari untied the ladder as Kirie kept an eye out for anyone.

"Just act as though this were your car" Kirie mutters.

"I can't believe we're doing this" Yukinari murmured untying the rope. "If only I hadn't let Fukuyama get away from me."

"Don't blame yourself. The guy's a snake" Kirie grumbled. "He can slither out of almost any grapple." With the ladder and rope in their possession, the three approach the wall fencing where a tree offered to obscure their activity. With the ladder, Yukinari climbs first and reaches the top of the tall barrier.

"Wow! What a sight!" Yukinari said loudly in admiration.

"Keep it down Yukinari" Kirie whispered urgently.

"Sorry" Yukinari apologized. "Coast is clear though." Using the rope, he scales back down the other side of the tall wall and gains entry into the grounds. Kirie scaled down after him and Miharu followed thereafter.

"Wow!" Miharu gasped, the other two staring in awe at the scenery similarly. Perfect, green plains almost as far as the eye could see, an immense lake to their left, an encroaching forest off to their right with tall, looming mountains jutting out from all across the horizon.

"You know, not until just now have I ever really admired those mountains..." Yukinari comments. "Guess when you're surrounded by buildings, you don't really bother..."

"As pretty as the view is, it only means we're going to have to search farther and wider to find Fukuyama" Kirie notified.

"You're right Kirie" Miharu agrees.

"Well then, guess we better get started" Yukinari said. "And he couldn't have gotten very far, surely" he added as all three set off.

-TRANSITION-

"The cervus nippon or sika deer, once found all the way from northern Vietnam to far Eastern Russia, is now found almost exclusively in Japan" Lilica explained. "The particular specimen we have come across here is a stag or male deer. An alpha male! Notice the size of his antlers and despite the fact that this one has reached maturity, notice that his spots are still visible. Their hearing is powerful and the ones in these hunting grounds have really sharp eyes too. If it weren't for our camo, we probably would've already been spotted by now. Beautiful creature isn't he?"

Seiichirou never expected this. Rather, he never expected he would be up in a low tree staring through a rifle scope at a tall and majestic stag deer which was surveying his territory with pride. "Yeah, I suppose he does look admirable" Seiichirou agreed uncomfortably.

"Absolutely beautiful creature. Let's kill him and bag us some lunch" Lilica declares. "It's been a long time since I've eaten deer."

"S-sure..." Seiichirou agrees. He lifts Lilica's rifle and looks through the scope.

"Okay, center your target" Lilica instructed. Seiichirou follows suit, the crosshairs through the scope pointing at the neck of the stag.

"Factor in gravity and wind resistance" Lilica adds plucking a leaf from a branch and letting it drop, the wind carrying it towards the southeast. "35, no, 34 degrees northwest..." she says. Seiichirou hesitates. "That means slightly to the upper right of your target. Slightly."

"S-so when do I fire?"

"Not yet, you'll miss" Lilica warns looking through binoculars. "Wait until he stops moving." The deer had started moving about as though surveying the forest surrounding him. "What's wrong Seiichirou? You seem bothered" Lilica observed accurately. Camouflaged and up in a tree aiming a hunting rifle at another living thing wasn't the most awkward or distracting aspect of this date. It was the fact that at that instant Lilica was so close up to him looking over his shoulder and pressing up against his back.

"N-nothing's wrong" Seiichirou lied.

"Well then I suggest you steady your hands" she says wrapping her arms around him and placing her hands tenderly over his own. "Otherwise you'll miss."

"Y-yeah, I understand" Seiichirou replied tensing up.

"Steady your breathing... Take a deep breath." Seiichirou breathes, his heart racing. "Let me have a look, don't move the rifle one bit" Lilica commands and her arms around Seiichirou tighten. She leans in to look through the scope, her chest pressing up against the back of his shoulder. "Excellent, our chances of a hit are high. Fire when ready but keep your grip steady" she finished.

"..." Seiichirou moves his eye back to the scope's eyepiece.

"Your hands are trembling again" Lilica reminded Seiichirou, reestablishing a tightening grip. "Hold on, our target's moving again, wait until he's stopped moving." Lilica's warm touch, the skin of her palms touching his, her feminine voice that passed her luscious rose-red lips, the alluring smell that permeated her hair. It all ultimately proved overwhelming for Seiichirou.

Bang! The elegant stag's head flicks towards the source of the sharp noise and then quickly dashes away.

"...D-did I get him?.."

"You missed. You shot prematurely" Lilica criticized. "You even closed your eyes when you pulled the trigger. Most inadvisable."

"...I-I'm sorry..." Seiichirou apologized feeling somewhat ashamed.

"...It's okay" Lilica said emitting a chuckle. "Premature firing's common among newcomers" Lilica said caressing Seiichirou's shoulders reassuringly. "Come. Let us go scope out another area" she says hopping off the tree. "Bet you haven't tasted deer meat before."

"N-no, I have not..." he said. "I, I better get off too before I fall off!" Seiichirou thought deliriously to himself as he followed Lilica down the tree.

-TRANSITION-

Fukuyama's bright and flashy outfit was not difficult to spot. In addition to this, he was standing atop a hill which not only gave him a good view around the grounds but also gave the grounds a good view of him.

"Fukuyama, you bastard!" Kirie shouted charging up the hill, Miharu and Yukinari behind her.

"Gah! Kirie!?" Fukuyama shrieks. "How did you three get in!?"

"They let us in!" Kirie lied. "And now we're here to stop you!" Kirie declares pointing an accusatory finger.

"Stop me from what? Getting my maid back!? What right have you to dictate how I command my own maid!?" Fukuyama challenged.

"I" Kirie starts then stops. "Well you- Miharu- We-" Kirie struggles but fails in finding an answer.

"Where are they by the way?" Yukinari asks looking around.

"Hmph! Good luck finding them!" Fukuyama continues. "Commoners like yourselves lack the eagle-like eyesight to spot the two..." Fukuyama continues sewing together what looked like a large burlap sack in his hands. "My humble maid is a master of stealth! No doubt she's camouflaged herself and that fiend" Fukuyama said as Yukinari and Kirie stood nearby scowling and Miharu wore a deep look of concern. "No worries: I found them long before any of you got here. My only question is what could the two be up to?" he ponders.

"You should mind your own damn business!" Kirie growled.

"Look who's talking!" Fukuyama counters as he began getting into what looked like several burlap sacks sown together to make a body-sized one, what appeared to be brown fur sewn to it, Fukuyama adopts the appearance of a sickly deer.

"...What the hell are you doing?" Kirie asks in disbelief.

"It's a disguise, what does it look like?" Fukuyama answered getting into such a crude disguise, he smears his face with mud and then gathers fallen branches and fastens them atop his head. "An old proverb advises that if you wish to hide a leaf, place it in the forest" Fukuyama challenged appearing like a sika deer. "I'm going in!"

"Pfffftthahahaha" Kirie burst out laughing.

"What the hell's so funny!?" Fukuyama spat. "This is the best I could do on such short notice!"

"Hahaha! You look ridiculous!" Kirie laughed. "And I thought the time you wore hahahaha, the banana outfit looked hahahahaha, ridiculous!"

"Shut up! You-you're just jealous you didn't come up with this before I did" Fukuyama accused.

"Me? Jealous!? Haahahahahaha!" the brunette let out. "Hahaha! I'm sure that's it!"

"What's so funny?" Miharu asked puzzled. "Fukuyama reminds me of potatoes. He looks yummy!"

"Miharu! I'm supposed to be a deer!" Fukuyama responded.

"But Fukuyama, isn't that dange-" Miharu began before Kirie had bolted up behind her and placed a palm right over her mouth.

"Haha! I, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh..." Kirie said composing herself. "..That's absolute genius Fukuyama! A deer disguise in your dad's hunting grounds? Now that I think about it, it makes sense. I had no idea you were this brilliant" Kirie complimented.

"Well of course!" Fukuyama said, his chin up and his chest out. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date to stick my nose into" he said walking down the hill. "And don't follow me! You'll blow my cover!" he shouts before disappearing into a thickening of trees. With Fukuyama now out of sight, Kirie lets out a deep sigh.

"...What an idiot" she mutters. Looking at Yukinari, she notices a grim look on his face.

"There's no way Fukuyama's serious" a stunned Yukinari comments. "He can't be!"

"He's a dumbass who's been pampered all his life. Whether he's serious or not, it's better that he doesn't fool anyone. Otherwise he's dead" Kirie points out flatly.

"You think we should have warned him?" Yukinari asked with concern.

"Nah!" Kirie shrugged without hesitation. "Whatever happens to the guy, he somehow manages to survive. He's a snake with nine lives... Miharu, where are you going?"

"We have to go! Big brother's date is in trouble!" Miharu alerts hurrying in the same direction Fukuyama had. Suddenly, the sound of a rifle shot rings out echoing throughout the forest causing Miharu to jump in surprise and birds to fly out from the treeline. "Oh my!"

"Did you hear that!? C'mon Yukinari, we should hurry!" Kirie urged. "Slow down Miharu! Don't get too far from us!" Kirie calls out, she and Yukinari resuming chase.

-TRANSITION-

"Seiichirou, is the idea of taking a life bothering you?" Lilica asked watching Seiichirou handle her rifle as both blended in with a set of tall bushes.

"No, not at all" Seiichirou said. "Why?"

"It's just that you seem rather hesitant. I was thinking that perhaps you didn't wish to take a life" Lilica commented.

"No, that's not it at all. It wouldn't be the first time actually..."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah... I once... killed a man who had taken my little sister from her own room..." Seiichirou recalled. "There was a time when my older sister Maharu was the sole breadwinner of the family and she worked late nights so Miharu and I had the house to ourselves many times. One night, an Earthling man had broken in, had taken Miharu and put her in a stolen milk truck. He then returned, I don't know why: possibly looking for other victims. I snuck up behind the man with a kitchen knife and jumped up on his back! I then cut him across the neck..." Seiichirou said, a tremble in his voice. "I, I had to do it! For Miharu's sake! I just" Seiichirou makes a cutting motion with his hand. "It all happened so fast... There was so much blood everywhere and I screamed!" Seiichirou pauses. "I, I don't know for how long I screamed and I almost lost consciousness from shock but Miharu's safety kept me focused. I went to the man's truck and got Miharu back: she was still sound asleep, thankfully. How her kidnapper managed to keep her from waking up I'll never know nor do I care to know... In the end, she was unharmed and the bastard's other victims, girls he had taken from other homes, were rescued. Thankfully."

"That was awfully heroic. Good for you!" Lilica praised beaming. "I'm relieved to hear that."

"Th-thanks..." Seiichirou said feeling flattered. "Lilica."

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid to ask actually."

"Just go ahead" Lilica answers.

"I, I saw the scars on your back when you undressed. You got those from your war days didn't you?" Seiichirou asked.

"Yes, I did. What of them?"

"Well, I sometimes have nightmares of that night when I killed Miharu's kidnapper..."

"You mean flashbacks?" Lilica says familiar with such experiences.

"Yeah, those... I've read something about your war experiences in different parts of the world and I've always wondered if you've ever experienced flashbacks."

"Yes, I've had those in the past. Most certainly" Lilica assures.

"All I did was kill a guy and the flashbacks are anything but pleasant. Sometimes, they wake me up even!.. I can only imagine what it must be like for you as a war veteran to relive your experiences. It must be terrible" Seiichirou said with great sympathy.

"Yes, they're quite terrible. Waking up to what you believe are the sounds of gunfire, explosives, artillery... The sights and sounds of your loved ones and comrades screaming in pain and dying, of horrible things being done to people, friend and foe, guilty and innocent, young and old, combatant and civilian."

"Lilica, you don't have to-"

"It's okay. The flashbacks are not as bad as they used to be" Lilica said comfortably. "As a matter of fact, I'm mostly over them..."

"How do you cope?" Seiichirou said seeing that Lilica had had no trouble recalling such memories.

"I keep myself busy and I live life to its fullest. I remind myself that the past is the past and that the present and the future are infinitely more important" Lilica said. "But most important of all, there are people who care for me and I care for them in return."

"Lilica, I'm really glad to hear that" Seiichirou said relieved. A moment of silence.

"Your little sister: she helps you cope doesn't she?" Lilica asks to Seiichirou's great surprise.

"...Y-yes. Yes, she does!" Seiichirou said in a relieved tone. "...Seeing her safe and happy means I made the right choice that night in killing that son of a bitch!.. I sleep easier knowing Miharu is out of harm's way."

"I'm glad to hear that Seiichirou" Lilica said smiling at Miharu's older brother.

"Thank you" he responds happily. "And I'm sorry for bringing up what must be a difficult topic for you."

"It's not a problem at all Seiichirou" Lilica assured.

-TRANSITION-

"I see one!" a hunter in a plaid sweater alerted his partner and pointing a finger in the direction of a potential prey. The partner, a fellow huntsman, takes a look through his binoculars and spots the target. "You see it?"

"Yeah."

"Lets get it!"

"Hold on a sec... Nah, let's not. Poor thing looks like it's been through a lot" the huntsman with the binoculars remarked with pity. "Lets just leave it be."

"...Yeah, you're right. Now that you mention it, I'm feeling bad for it too. Almost makes me want to stop hunting" the hunter in plaid agreed and the two walked off. Unbeknownst to the two, the deer they had spotted was no deer.

"Yeah, that's right. Keep walking" Fukuyama thought, a proud grin on his face as he watched the pair of huntsmen walk off. "This disguise worked like a charm! They didn't even notice me! Hehehe! Who's laughing now Kirie?" he challenged thinking back to the mockery moments ago. In his makeshift deer outfit, he gets back to the task at hand: spying on Seiichirou and Lilica. As he encroached upon Seiichirou and Lilica, he notices they were just finishing up with a conversation. "What in the heck were they talking about just now?" he thought to himself. Equipped with a directional microphone, he attempts to listen in on his maid and her date. "Gotta get closer" he told himself and snuck closer hiding behind trees and greenery as he approached.

"...Lilica, I've spotted one! Right there behind that tree!" Seiichirou whispered pointing a few hundred meters to their left. "An awfully shaggy looking one at that! A really bizarre looking one!... Feel kind of bad for it actually. It looks disfigured and sick... Now I can't shoot it" Seiichirou mutters losing heart and lowering his rifle. "...Poor thing. How could anyone shoot it?" At that moment, Miharu catches up to the disguised Fukuyama. "Miharu!? What the hell is she doing here!? She's getting closer to that wild deer!" Seiichirou exclaims in alarm.

"Fukuyama, please don't get in big brother's way" Miharu directed at Fukuyama.

"Gah!" Fukuyama squirms, her voice amplified by his microphone. "Mi-Miharu! Don't do that!" Fukuyama reprimands tearing off his headset. "This device is very sensitive! That really hurt!" Fukuyama complained rubbing his ears.

"I'm sorry Fukuyama. Is there something wrong with your device?" Miharu apologizes. It was at that instant that Fukuyama noticed her standing there all alone in the middle of the nearly-secluded woods. "I, I didn't break it did I?"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head Miharu!" Fukuyama said smoothly and seizing Miharu's hands. "I've got much better devices at home! Let's head over to my place and I'll happily tell you all about them! I'll demonstrate how they work even!"

"..Uhhh" Miharu lets out mystified.

"That wild deer is attacking Miharu! I'll kill that bastard!" Seiichirou growls lifting the rifle back up.

"Don't" Lilica said shoving the rifle aside.

"What do you mean don't!?" Seiichirou retorts angrily.

"That's not a deer. That's just master in a burlap sack. Don't ask why he's in it because I don't know but that's who it is" Lilica said after barely a glance through her binoculars.

"Th-that's the pervert!? That's no better! That's worse!" Seiichirou growled raising the rifle again.

"Stop and just watch!" Lilica says shoving the rifle out of the way again and allowing Seiichirou to look through her binoculars.

"Kirie? Sasaki too?" Seiichirou said spotting the two appearing in the distance and closing in on Fukuyama.

"Fukuyama, you bastard! You just don't know when to quit do you!?" Kirie rages.

"NoIdon't!" Fukuyama hurriedly said running off with Miharu before being tackled by Kirie. She intercepts Fukuyama freeing Miharu in the process and then pulls the blonde pervert into a grapple. "AndIneverwillAaaaah!"

"You okay Miharu?" Yukinari asks.

"Yes, I'm fine" she answers. In the distance, with Miharu so quickly out of Fukuyama's venomous clutches, Seiichirou lets out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness."

"This is quite the surprise" Lilica comments. "Master and... I want to say his friends, have paid us a visit out here in the wilderness."

"I'm going to check up on Miharu" Seiichirou said distancing himself away from cover.

"Fukuyama, I'm sending your ass to hell!" Kirie said sharply as she glared down at the vanquished pervert.

"Why must you pick on me?" Fukuyama whined.

"Good work Kirie! That sicko perv almost made off with my sister" Seiichirou announces approaching. Yukinari, Kirie, and Miharu turn their heads toward Seiichirou who was wearing camouflage and covered in leaves and foliage.

"D-did that sh-shrub just say something!?" Kirie asks somewhat freaked out by the bush with legs, Yukinari similarly affected.

"Big brother?" Miharu breathes recognizing the voice. Squinting, she confirms that it is indeed her brother. "Big brother!" she squeals running up to and hugging the walking shrub.

"Oh, it's just Seiichirou" Yukinari realizes. "Silly us" he says bowing his head in shame, Kirie feeling similarly.

"Big brother, what is this you're wearing?" Miharu asked.

"It's camouflage" Seiichirou answers. "Neat huh?"

"Camouflage?" Miharu repeats plucking a leaf off of Seiichirou's arm. "It looks like fun!" Miharu said with a grin.

"So Miharu, why have you come here?" Seiichirou asked firmly. "These hunting grounds are no place for you!"

"Um, I was just worried that Fukuyama was trying to stop your date" Miharu said with great concern. "So I had Kirie and Yukinari help me keep an eye out for you and Miss Lilica."

"You shouldn't have to worry about us Miharu" Seiichirou assured. "We can take care of ourselves."

"Oh, okay.. I'm sorry" Miharu apologized.

"Don't apologize" Seiichirou said hurriedly. "It's okay. As a matter of fact, I like my little sister worrying about me! It brings a smile to my face and lets me know that she loves me!" Seiichirou directed warmly at Miharu.

"Oh big brother!" Miharu squeaks giving her older brother another bigger hug. Kirie couldn't help but smile at this and Yukinari felt similarly though was still mostly indifferent and just wanted to get home now.

"Well, now that we've sorted this guy out" Kirie said indicating the blonde pervert in the potato sack, "what shall we do with him?"

"Target practice" Seiichirou suggested sinisterly yet not entirely serious. "He's got the outfit for it."

"You could let me go" Fukuyama suggested sheepishly.

"Quiet you" Kirie chastises. Despite this, Fukuyama begins crawling away during a moment of carelessness.

"Screw this! I'm out of here" Fukuyama declares under his breath. Distancing himself, he stands up and faces his captors. "You must think you've gotten one over me! Well I assure you, and you four certainly don't realize this" Fukuyama says pointing an accusatory finger at Kirie and the others, "that I have succeeded!"

"What the hell are you going on about Fukuyama?" Kirie demands.

"Lilica" Fukuyama calls out toward a collection of vegetation.

"Yes master?" a camouflaged Lilica responds standing up and out of thick shrubbery in the distance.

"Mwahahahahaha!" Fukuyama began to laugh. "You see? Lilica's there and I'm here! And you four are over there! You have failed in stopping me from getting to her!" Fukuyama mocked. "Bahahahahaha! And you!" Fukuyama continued redirecting his finger at Seiichirou, "I've got my eye on you! But moreso on your delectable sister!"

"Sicko bastard!" Seiichirou growled.

"Insult all you want, Lilica's 'my' maid! She works for me and I'll prove it with an order!" Fukuyama said. He then turns to his maid. "Lilica, call in a chopper! We're going home." Finally, Fukuyama turns back one final time. "And now, I take my walk of victory" he boasts strolling, chin raised up in the air toward his maid's position. "Bwahahahahahahaha! Revel in envy as I proceed in triu-" Before Lilica could object, like a speeding train colliding with a compact car, Fukuyama is decimated by a 300-pound, full-grown charging sika deer. Confusing the pervert for a rival stag, the deer knocks him away several feet. "Gaaaah!" he screams as he flies in his disguise.

"Oh no! Fukuyama!" Miharu shrieked in horror. The attacking stag, sniffing and wheezing angrily and stamping the ground with his front hooves aggressively, lowers his head readying his antlers for another charge. "We've gotta do something!" Miharu lets out.

"Seiichirou, the gun!" Kirie exclaims.

"Out of bullets!" Seiichirou said in alarm. Fukuyama's chief maid does not hesitate: she charges for the deer and through an incredible feat of athleticism, she hops on the stag's back and grabs firm hold of his antlers. She pulls at the antlers making the deer stop to buck wildly in attempts to shake off the maid that had mounted him.

"Get master out of here!" Lilica shouted over the loud grunts and angry screams of the kicking stag. Kirie and Yukinari don't hesitate: they both charge for Fukuyama and carry him away. "Get him out of that outfit!"

"Help! Save me!" Fukuyama begged.

"Q-quit squirming!" Kirie growled helping Fukuyama up to his feet and with Yukinari's help, leading him away.

"Get back Miharu!" Seiichirou said pushing Miharu away from the raging sika deer. "Lilica, what shall we do!?"

"Shoot!" Lilica commands tossing a rifle magazine Seiichirou's way. Seiichirou catches it and after reloading the rifle, points the weapon.

"No big brother! Don't!" Miharu protests in panic. "I-it's an innocent animal!"

"Do it now!" Lilica repeats, her hold on the deer's antlers at risk of breaking.

"No!" Miharu exclaims again. "Big brother! Please! Th-there has to be another way!"

"I can't hold on much longer!" Lilica warns loudly. Seiichirou, split between Miharu's cries for mercy and concern for Lilica's welfare as well as everyone else's, raises the hunting rifle, a lethal intent behind his trigger finger, a fierce expression on his face.

"I, I'm sorry Miharu!" Seiichirou mutters. "Hold him still Lilica!" Lilica pulls as hard as she could nearly immobilizing the agitated stag.

"Do it!" Lilica shouted again. Seiichirou points, crosshairs through the scope centered on the deer's chest, a deadly bullet in the chamber, and in an instant a loud bang echoes throughout the forest, splits the air, shakes the ground. Surprisingly however, it was not the rifle in Seiichirou's hands that had caused the loud noise.

Her face twisted in concentration, her eyes focused on the ground before Seiichirou, the star mark on her forehead bursting with light, Miharu had summoned an explosive force between her older brother and the rampaging wild animal. With a loud, ground-rattling bang and blinding flash of light, she knocks her brother and the rifle away, Lilica off the stag, and the stag's wild flails are knocked off balance. A large cloud of dust is blown up and around obscuring the vision of anyone caught within it and for several moments, it remains. As it clears, the stag runs off in fright, and Seiichirou and Lilica remain floored and dizzied by the impact, the majority of their camouflage blown off including some of their face paint. For a time, they remain knocked out.

"Big brother! Big brother!" Miharu called out. "Please, get up! Please be okay!" she shouts looking back and forth between her brother and Lilica. Having been situated away from the explosion, Yukinari and Kirie run up beside her.

"Mi-Miharu? What's going on?" Seiichirou mumbles as he comes to.

"Oh thank goodness you're okay" Miharu said hugging her older brother tightly, her eyes welling up from worry.

"W-what just happened?" Seiichirou groans looking around. "One instant, I was aiming at the deer... The next instant, I'm on the ground..."

"B-big brother, I stopped you from hurting the poor animal" Miharu admitted. "I'm glad you didn't hurt him."

"What, what are you talking about?" Seiichirou asked still feeling rattled from the impact.

"You did that didn't you?" Lilica asked stumbling over to Miharu and sitting beside her. "Master has once mentioned something about you and explosions."

"Explosions!? C-could someone please explain what's going on!?" Seiichirou growled annoyed by his own confusion.

"It was your sister" Kirie answered. "She used the Seikon mark on her forehead to scare the stag away with an explosion! She's done it before" Kirie said as Miharu nodded.

"...She's scared deer away before?" Seiichirou asked still confused.

"Still hurt over here!" Fukuyama shouts in the distance.

"No, what I meant is she's used her Seikon powers before" Kirie corrected swiftly. "You mean you don't know about her Seikon?"

"S-Seikon? P-powers!? I, I'm sorry. This is almost too much to take in so quickly" Seiichirou said waving off the impending explanation and rubbing his jolted head.

"I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding!" Fukuyama shouts again.

"Miharu, I-I've gotta get you home" Seiichirou said getting up dizzily.

"I, I can't feel my arm! I can't find it either!" Fukuyama alerted. "Can I get some help over here!?.. I swear, w-world's going dark..." At this, Lilica finally gets up shakily and proceeds to Fukuyama's aid.

"But big brother, your date with Lilica!" Miharu objects.

"N-no, I've gotta get you home" Seiichirou insisted. "You're my responsibility."

"Just let us take her home Seiichirou" Yukinari offered.

"..Y-yeah, that would be good. Thanks Sasaki" Seiichirou thanked gratefully.

"It's no problem" Yukinari answers.

"Actually, I'm afraid master's injuries demand my concluding our date prematurely" Lilica interjects.

"Really?" Seiichirou asked disappointed.

"I'm very sorry Seiichirou: just like your little sister is your responsibility, my master is my own" Lilica said approaching Seiichirou. "I need to stay by his side and get him some medical attention as soon as I can" she said. She then takes both of Seiichirou's hands in her own making Seiichirou blush slightly. "But I want to say that I had fun today and I hope we can do this again some other time." Before Seiichirou could answer, she pulls him into an embrace.

"S-sure" Seiichirou manages to let out as he shyly wraps his own arms around Fukuyama's maid.

"I look forward to it" Lilica said and without warning, she presses her pursed red lips to his cheek. A loud smooch later, she leaves red lipstick emblazened on Seiichirou's burning face. Miharu grasps at her mouth resisting the torrent of joyous giggles building up in her stomach while Kirie looked on mischievously all while Yukinari was mildly entertained. Lilica then turned toward Miharu. "And thank you Miharu for your wonderful suggestion! This date was a wonderful idea!"

"Yes Miss Lilica!" Miharu returned nodding happily.

"Yukinari, Kirie, good day" Lilica said.

"Good day" Yukinari and Kirie greet back. Now with that out of the way, Lilica leaves their side.

"Hey Seiichirou, looking a little flustered there" Kirie teased in a whisper after sneaking up behind Seiichirou.

"Sh-shut it" he growled red in the face.

"Hey, where'd the lipstick go?" Kirie gasped.

"It's as red as big brother's face!" Miharu laughed. Kirie nods at this.

"Mi-Miharu! You too!?" Seiichirou exclaims in distress.

"We're just joking Seiichirou. Loosen up!" Kirie said patting Seiichirou in the back. Seiichirou is left grumbling.

Not far away, after Lilica had proceeded to pick up her rifle that had been knocked away by Miharu's powers, she proceeds to her master's needs. "L-Lilica? Is that you?" Fukuyama whispered weakly.

"Yes master. I'm right here" Lilica said raising Fukuyama's head into her arms.

"Lilica, I, I got hit by a deer" Fukuyama muttered. "I, I think I've got a few.. broken bones and... and I might be bleeding internally" he said. "...Oh thank goodness" he thought after reaching down to feel his crotch.

"Please don't fret master: medical attention will be here shortly" Lilica said as a medical unit and a park security van pulled up beside them. Two paramedics exit the medical unit and quickly tend to Fukuyama's injuries. "This is Officer Yamashita" Lilica said introducing the uniformed park ranger that had exited the security van to Seiichirou and his party.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen" the park ranger greets bowing his head.

"He'll be escorting you four off of park grounds" Lilica explained.

"Yes, thank you" Seiichirou said as his younger sister, Yukinari, and Kirie proceeded to enter the security van. Just as Seiichirou was entering, Fukuyama raises his voice.

"Wait" Fukuyama intercepted as he was sprawled out across a stretcher and being pulled into the ambulance.

"Is something the matter master?" Lilica asked by his side.

"Help me raise my arm" Fukuyama requested. At this, Lilica lifts his arm. "As I was saying" Fukuyama croaked pointing a broken finger at Seiichirou, "Revel in envy.. as I.. proceed in.. triumph! Bahahaha-ow!" with that, the paramedics close the ambulance doors and the ambulance drives off. "It, it hurts to laugh..." Fukuyama anguished inside the medical unit.

"Don't worry master: we'll fix you up and you'll be laughing to your heart's content soon enough" Lilica assured.

"This is unfair: I got hit by a deer today" Fukuyama recalled in pain. "I mean, I didn't do anything too bad today... Why couldn't I have gotten a simple tranquilizer to the thigh like the last couple of times?.. Wh-when I behaved worse even!?"

"That's an excellent point master" Lilica agreed.

"It, it goes to show... that... nice guys finish last!" Fukuyama continued angrily.

"Yes master, absolutely correct like always... Now please save your strength" Lilica advised.

-TRANSITION-

"Pompous bastard" Seiichirou muttered under his breath before finally climbing back into the security van. He sat next to his little sister across Yukinari and Kirie. With all passengers accounted for, the park ranger begins to drive them all toward a park exit.

"Big brother, do you think Fukuyama will be okay?" Miharu asked worried.

"Relax Miharu" Kirie said. "Fukuyama will live through a nuclear war if it means he'll get to harass more girls the next day."

"Not if he tries to lay his hands on Miharu again" Seiichirou threatened. "I'll grind him to dust."

"We're with ya" Kirie assured.

"All the way" Yukinari adds. A moment later, Seiichirou turns to his younger sister and, seizing Miharu's face, stares at her forehead.

"Big brother?" Miharu voiced.

"I always thought this was just a birth mark" Seiichirou said rubbing Miharu's star mark. "You guys gotta fill me in on this whole Seikon powers thing."

"Oh boy. Well, where should we begin?" Yukinari wondered. Yukinari, together with Kirie, recalled the several times Miharu had used her powers. Yukinari started with the first time he had met Miharu. He explained how Miharu had used her powers to protect him from crazed Seirenians, one of them being her older sister Maharu and from some girls in a locker room. By the time he was done with those recollections, they had all exited the Fukuyama hunting grounds and were proceeding towards Yukinari's home on foot.

"There was that one day when we went to the school swimming pool. We had switched bodies a bunch of times and when the octopus attacked, Miharu nearly used her powers" Kirie recalled. "And she used her powers when Lisa summoned a demonic hand from who the hell knows where!" Kirie said shivering. "She shattered a bunch of windows with that explosion!"

"And there was that one time Miharu began multiplying after drinking some substance in chemistry class" Yukinari contributed.

"Oh yeah" Kirie confirms. "How could I have forgotten that one?"

"She began multiplying?" Seiichirou repeats confused.

"She started spawning clones of herself" Yukinari elaborated.

"And they all went on an eating tirade" Kirie recalls. "What a day that was!"

"Miharu clones, attacking octopus, and a demonic hand?.." Seiichirou said surprised. "Miharu, what in the heck were you up to while I was away?"

"It was all so much fun!" Miharu said giggling.

"For you maybe" Kirie said feeling exhausted.

"And we had to endure all of that!" Yukinari said feeling similarly as all four continued walking on.

-TRANSITION-

Not long after Kirie and the others had left for school, Koyomi had been watching Tomoka running back and forth around the house as she caressed her pet snake Hebi and Ebi sat watching television. With an oversized apron tied around her waist, Tomoka cleaned and tidied up around the Sasaki residence, tossing the food wrappers into the trash, vacuuming up the crumbs off of the carpet, gathering the soiled dishes and washing them in the sink, wiping the couches and tables clean. In short time, the house was cleaned up, free from any blemishes that were of Tomoka's making. She had even gone out at one point to buy back most of the food she had eaten.

"Th-there... All done!" Tomoka declares putting away a box of cookies she had purchased during a quick outing to the local convenience store. She tears off her apron and hurriedly returns from the kitchen to the living room. She takes a seat on the couch uneasily.

"Tomoka" Koyomi mutters towards her coworker, "good job!"

"Th-thanks Koyo" Tomoka said with a strained voice. "S-sooner or later will come the hardest part though" Tomoka said taking a deep breath.

Later that day just outside the house, Yukinari and the others approached. "So big brother? How did it go?" Miharu asks her older brother. "Did you enjoy the surprise date with Miss Lilica?"

"Yes, I had a great time" Seiichirou assured.

"Oh thank goodness!" Miharu cheered. A part of Seiichirou wanted to chastise her for setting up the blind date in the first place. However, upon seeing the look of satisfaction on Miharu's face, he decided to simply be grateful. Not only that but he had indeed enjoyed it so everything had worked out in the end.

"Of course Seiichirou had a great time! Seeing how he turns into a softie when it comes to Lilica is evidence enough of that" Kirie joked as all four approached the front door to Yukinari's home.

"Why must you insist on rubbing it in?" Seiichirou voices annoyed.

"I'm not rubbing it in" Kirie objected. "It's just something I noticed. S-sorry, I didn't know you felt 'that' strongly about it."

"Just forget it" Seiichirou surrendered as Yukinari opened the front door to his home.

"We're home!" Yukinari called out upon entering.

"Welcome back everyone" Koyomi greets at the door as everyone enters.

"Hello Koyomi! Hello Tomoka! Hello Ebi! Hello Hebi!" Miharu greets bouncily.

"Hello Miharu!" Koyomi returns.

"..Well, I must say I like what I'm seeing right now" Kirie announced walking around the living room. "No more crumbs on the floor, milk spill in the kitchen cleaned up, dishes washed and set aside to dry!"

"An' the food's back!" Miharu reveals sticking her hand into a box of cookies.

"Miharu, did you ask if-" Seiichirou began but is interrupted by Yukinari.

"Relax Seiichirou, I don't mind" Yukinari assured in a whisper. "Miharu's welcome to eat here whenever she wants."

"At least let me pay for the cookies" Seiichirou offered only to be refused.

"Tomoka, did you do all that cleaning up?" Kirie asked approaching Tomoka. Sitting guiltily in her seat, Tomoka answered weakly.

"Yes."

"She did it all on her own too!" Koyomi adds.

"Did you Tomoka? All on your own?" Kirie asks swelling with pride.

"Yes" Tomoka again confirms. "T-Tomo made the mess s-so Tomo sh-should clean it up!" she said with heavy emotion. Picking up on her emotions, Kirie grasps Tomoka's shoulders and looks her straight in the eye.

"I'm proud of you Tomoka. That was a very grown-up thing to do!" Kirie said smiling warmly.

"B-Big Sister Kirie, T-Tomo's sorry!" a teary-eyed Tomoka exclaims emotionally. "Tomo's s-so sorry for w-what Tomo did! Tomo's s-sorry to everyone!"

"It's okay Tomoka. I forgive you and so does everyone else!" Kirie said as she pulled a sniffling Tomoka into a hug. Koyomi could only smile at this.

"I-it's so sad!" Miharu wailed.

"Huh?" Koyomi voiced looking Miharu's way.

"Seeing Tomoka cry makes me feel like crying too!" Miharu said sniffling with eyes watering. Koyomi could only chuckle at this.

"I was wrong too Tomoka" Kirie admits again. "Tell you what: to put this all behind us, I want to make it up to you!"

"Really?" Tomoka said cheering up.

"Yep!" Kirie began as she lead Tomoka upstairs, Koyomi and Miharu following. Left behind in the living room was Yukinari, Seiichirou, and Ebi.

"Girls: they really are something else eh?" Yukinari directed at Seiichirou as he caressed Ebi's hair.

"Yeah, you could say that... Some of them are tiring for one thing" Seiichirou sighed. "Hello Ebi" he greeted as Ebi walked up to him and stared at his cheek curiously.

"Nyah nyah" Ebi meowed signaling towards Seiichirou's cheek.

"Huh? Is there something on my face?" Seiichirou placed a palm on his cheek and then recalled he had never wiped off the lipstick planted on it. "Sasaki, why didn't you tell me!?"

"Sorry, I thought you knew" Yukinari defended.

"Yeah right! You and Kirie and even Miharu were probably in on it. I walked across town with this on my face!" Seiichirou complained.

"Jeez, why so paranoid? Just wipe it off. Use the faucet in my kitchen" Yukinari said and Seiichirou proceeded towards the kitchen. Ebi then returns taking a seat next to Yukinari. "Girls are truly something else" Yukinari repeated patting Ebi's head.

"Nyah nyah."

"Yeah, they're something else alright" Seiichirou answers from the kitchen. "One of them might be the end of me one day" he exaggerated as he stared at the moist napkin with his camo face paint and, more prominently, Lilica's rose-red lipstick on it.

It reminded him both of Lilica's red lips and of her bloody military past. 


	29. Chapter 29

Author commentary: It's been about eight whopping months since my last chapter upload but worry not for I have not abandoned the story. I've updated chapters and continue to read the story to myself on a regular basis making small changes as I see necessary. Now here's the last long chapter (about 16,600 words) I'm hoping to make and I'm planning on uploading shorter chapters in the future. Thank you so much for reading and for your patience everyone!

Season 3 Episode 53: Bravo Academy!

"Oohhh" Fukuyama groaned in agony. Lying on a bed somewhere within the immensity of the Fukuyama Estate, he was tended to by private nurses and the entirety of his body was wrapped in white bandaging. "Oooohhhhh!" he let out again feeling horrible pain all throughout his body, bruisings and broken bones his punishment from a wild stag deer earlier that day.

"Big brother, I don't understand how in the heck you ever get yourself into these situations!" Lisa commented at his bedside, her own assistants Hayate and Kosame beside her. "What were you up to!?"

"It hurts to talk little sister" Fukuyama whined pathetically. "I-it's too long of a story anyway..." Fukuyama mutters. Lisa releases a long sigh and at that instant, Lilica walks in carrying one of Fukuyama's favorite drinks, freshly squeezed orange juice. "Li-Lilica, Lilica" Fukuyama calls out trying to turn his head through his neck brace toward his maid.

"No need to fret master: I've gotten you your refreshment" Lilica answers carrying a large glassful of juice sitting atop a silver platter in her hands. Kneeling by the blonde pervert, she drops a straw into the glass and maneuvers it toward Fukuyama's mouth allowing him a hearty drink.

"...Thank you Lilica. You're a sweetheart!" Fukuyama thanked.

"Yes master" Lilica acknowledged bowing and withdrawing the glass.

"Long story huh?.. Fine, whatever" Lisa dismissed. "I feel I should let you know that father is quite sore about what has happened with Mizuno High." A moment of silence.

"...Wh-what? What has happened to Mizuno?" Fukuyama asked.

"It collapsed" Lisa reveals playfully holding her skull staff behind her back.

"It... collapsed?" Fukuyama parrots. "What do you mean it collapsed? ...Things don't just collapse..."

"Master" Lilica voices holding up a newspaper, a finger on a front-page article.

"Mizuno High collapses under mysterious circumstances" Fukuyama began to read in a hushed murmur, his voice somewhat muffled by his bandaging. "Mizuno was built in the year... According to witnesses, two female students may have played a part in the destruction... How two high school girls would be capable of such destruction bewilders authorities... No injuries or deaths were reported... Principal had no comment..." Kazuharu trailed off. "...Lisa, you aren't by chance one of the high school girls mentioned in this article are you?"

"...Not really..." Lisa answered sheepishly.

"Lisa!..." Fukuyama lets out in a commanding tone.

"So maybe I am!" Lisa admits. "But that wench from Seiren bears just as much responsibility as I do!"

"Girl from Seiren?.." Fukuyama blinked. "..You mean the girl with the long silver hair and marks on her body?" Fukuyama said recalling Yukina's visit the morning of the incident. Lisa maintaining her silence was enough to answer Fukuyama's question. "...She was cute! Those marks on her body were exotic too!" He began drooling. "Oh what I would give to get a hold of her slim little hips and long slender legs! That lengthy, silver hair waving in the air beckoning me to her silhouette just lights a blazing, lustful fire in my loins HMmmmnngg~! I would do anything to have her sit on my face! Ow!"

"Hearing you talk like this confirms you're not as hurt as you're letting on!" Lisa growled jabbing Fukuyama with her staff. "Mother and father are very angry with us!"

"Us!? What did that have to do with me!?" Fukuyama protested.

"You're the older sibling! You're supposed to look after me!" Lisa counters.

"You're old enough to look after yourself! You should take responsibility!" Fukuyama retorts. "Don't drag me into this!"

"Well they were mother and father's exact words!" Lisa notifies. "You have to deal with it just as much as I do!"

"Ridiculous! Mother and father would never resort to such flawed logic!" Fukuyama retaliated.

"Am I going to have to drag you to father's study!? Let him reprimand you the way he reprimanded me?" Lisa threatened. As she did so, Lilica, Hayate, and Kosame could only stand by and watch the two siblings squabble. "You know how father can get quite lengthy with his lectures. I'll wheel you to his study if you want me to!"

"No! You're just trying to shove the responsibility on me!" Fukuyama complained.

"Kosame" Lisa commands and at that instant, Kosame retrieves a tape recorder from her person and places it down atop the desk next to Fukuyama's bed. "You know I dislike bothering father so I had my conversation with him recorded just in case I was to run into this difficulty with you" Lisa explains. "Kosame, play it." Pressing play, a recording begins to emanate from the device.

"Lisa, I've been told about-" the very firm, masculine voice of Lisa's father fills the room.

"Fast forward" Lisa commands and Kosame complies.

"How in the world does this happen? That magic of yours is dangerous! -" Kosame fast forwards once more.

"Yes father. Understood" Lisa's voice comes through the recording.

"Rewind it a bit" Lisa commands and Kosame does so. The recording resumes.

"Lisa Fukuyama, my humble, lovely daughter. As a member of the Fukuyama household, I expect so much more from you..." Lisa's father sighs.

"Yes father" Lisa agrees in the recording.

"...I want you and your brother to handle this: I'm a busy man and I work hard to give you and Kazuharu the best life I can give you! This family does not need the bad press! When I come back from Australia, I'll expect that you and Kazuharu will have all this handled. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes father" Lisa agrees and with that, Kosame stops the recording. Immediately, she ejects the tape and snaps it in two.

"So?" Lisa challenged her older brother.

"B-but I'm hurt!" Fukuyama whined. "I c-can't go little sister!" he said, streams flowing down his eyes.

"I don't buy your act for a second" Lisa grumbles glaring at him.

"You're too cruel!" Fukuyama cries out. "Little sister! You're too cruel!"

"Father's words" Lisa says hoping to bring an end to the discussion. A moment of silence follows.

"...Lilica... Get me a wheelchair" Fukuyama mutters in surrender.

"Yes master" Lilica complies.

-TRANSITION-

"Tomoka, you behaved very maturely when you decided to clean up after yourself! I'm very very proud of you!" Kirie praised, Tomoka standing beside her as the brunette rummaged around one of Yukinari's dressers.

"I am too!" Miharu joined in with a cheer.

"I'm proud to have her as a fellow Space Travel Agent" Koyomi complimented. "A hard-working and determined co-worker!"

"Th-that means a lot to me you guys" a touched Tomoka thanked as she finished drying her eyes.

"Tomoka" Kirie began as she pulled something out of Yukinari's dresser, a dresser that contained some of her own clothes and personal belongings. "I want you to have this" Kirie said presenting Tomoka with a beautiful set of hair pins. The hair pins, shaped like snow flakes and encrusted with tiny, glittering stones, were handled with the greatest of care as Kirie laid them to rest atop Tomoka's open palms.

"B-big Sister Kirie" Tomoka breathed as she held the hair ornaments in awe.

"I bought these on a whim some time ago but never wore them. Truth is, I was never really into such girly stuff but if you ask me, they would look great on you!" Kirie said. "Let's see how they look" she said as she fixed the ornaments to Tomoka's hair. "They look great, as expected!" Kirie compliments.

"Pretty!" Miharu giggled.

"They look lovely!" Koyomi added.

"Th-thank you so much everyone!" Tomoka said sniffling.

"Group hug!" Miharu sings leading everyone into the hug. She wraps her arms around Tomoka who can't help but hug back. Koyomi then lends her arms and just as quickly, Kirie joins in on the embrace.

"Th-thank you!" Tomoka repeats trying her best to hug back the three around her and resisting the urge to cry. Just then, Ebi walks in to witness the four girls all hugging each other. Mimicking them, she is quick to join in the hug.

"Nyah nyah!" Ebi meowed happily.

"Oh! Look who's joined us!" Kirie said in surprise. "Ebi!"

"Hello Ebi" Miharu greets. "I wanna hug you too!" she calls out pulling Ebi into a hug.

"Nyahh?" Ebi lets out puzzled.

"So Ebi, what do you think? Doesn't your older sister look cute in her new hair pins?" Kirie asked slyly.

"Nyah nyah!" Ebi agrees admiring the ornaments on Tomoka's hair.

"Older sister?" Tomoka quotes Kirie.

"That's right!" Kirie wearing a clever grin. "The way I see it, you're the older sister! A big sister to Ebi! You're the more 'mature' sister. So it's up to you to look out for your younger sister!"

"Tomo's the... big sister..!" Tomoka repeats, her eyes lighting up, her chest swelling with pride. "Ebi! T-Tomo's a big sister! Your big sister!" Tomoka cheered seizing Ebi's hands and shaking them in celebration.

"Nyah nyah?" Ebi murmurs confused a second time.

"Tomo's Ebi's big sister!" Tomoka celebrated in triumph, stars in her eyes. "Tomo's a big sister!"

"That was clever" Koyomi whispered Kirie's way.

"I thought Tomoka would like that" Kirie whispers back as Tomoka continued in jubilation. "Hey, you know what would be great tonight?" Kirie then posed aloud.

"What?" Miharu asked.

"A sleepover at my house" Kirie suggested. "I don't think we've had one of those before!"

"I think that would be a wonderful idea!" Koyomi agrees.

"Sounds like fun!" Miharu contributes.

"So Tomoka, what do you think? You interested?" Kirie directs towards the young Space Travel Agent.

"Yeah, sure. Let's do it!" Tomoka responds.

"Alright then! Glad to hear that! And I'm pretty sure Ebi's in!" Kirie says smiling Ebi's way. Ebi can do nothing but return the gesture. "Okay, it's settled then: sleepover at my place!" Kirie announces enthusiastically.

"Hooray!" Koyomi, Tomoka, and Miharu cheer in unison.

-TRANSITION-

"Mind your manners Miharu! You're a guest at another person's house" Seiichirou instructs. "And don't stay up too late!"

"Yes big brother" Miharu agrees, both standing before Kirie's house. Right beside them stood Kirie, Koyomi, Tomoka, and Ebi all ready for the sleepover.

"And make sure to brush and floss your teeth before bed" Seiichirou instructs Miharu. "And careful not to swallow the mouth wash! Also, don't eat or drink too much right before bed! Especially too much sugar: otherwise you won't be able to sleep. And sugar is bad for your teeth."

"Jeez Seiichirou, relax will ya?" Kirie complains. "Miharu gets it, she'll be fine!"

"Hey! As her older brother, it's my job to worry!" Seiichirou retorts. "Have a fun time Miharu" Seiichirou then says hugging and kissing Miharu's forehead goodbye.

"I will big brother!" Miharu says hugging back. With that, Seiichirou then makes his way home only to stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Miharu, if an earthquake strikes, get underneath a table! Don't sleep under heavy objects and stay away from the windows!" Seiichirou shouts. "And Kirie, make sure your fire alarms are working! And check up on your fire extinguisher and provisions too! And lock the doors at night and have emergency services on speed dial!"

"We get it! We get it!" Kirie responds annoyed.

"I understand big brother!" Miharu answers waving at Seiichirou.

"Have fun girls!" Seiichirou finishes and Miharu scurries into the Kojima residence along with the other girls.

"Finally!" Kirie declares shutting her front door. "Your brother sure knows how to worry doesn't he?" Kirie joked. Miharu nods and giggles at this.

"That's only because he loves his little sister that much!" Koyomi admired.

"Yes yes!" Miharu agrees fondly with a giggle.

"Alright! Enough chit chat! Tomo's ready to get this show on the road!" Tomoka squeaks impatiently.

"Right! Everyone up to my room!" Kirie commands and all five, Miharu, Koyomi, Tomoka, Ebi, and Kirie herself rush up to the second floor and into Kirie's room. Once inside, with the sleeping bags spread out on the floor, Kirie begins. "So guys, how's about we start with a game of sutda?" she asks pulling out a set of Hanafuda cards.

"You know Tomo's in!" Tomoka accepts the challenge.

"But do you think Ebi will be able to play?" Koyomi voiced concerned.

"No worries! She'll be paired up with her big sister, Tomo!" Tomoka claimed placing her arm around Ebi's shoulders. "We'll take you guys down!"

"Very well then" Kirie accepted and she passes two cards to each player: two for Miharu, two for Koyomi, two for Tomoka and Ebi, and two for herself.

"So? What do you guys have?" Kirie asked after looking at her cards.

"Two April dregs" Koyomi says presenting her hand, the cards depicting thin stems lined with leaves.

"Not bad" Kirie comments. "What about you Miharu?"

"May dregs" Miharu says revealing hers, a blue flower beneath blades of grass printed on her cards.

"Oh darn! That hand beats mine" Koyomi said.

"What about you Big Sister Kirie?" Tomoka asks concealing her two cards.

"Two maples!" Kirie revealed triumphantly. On her cards, leaves the color of autumn strewn about.

"No way!" Koyomi gasped. "That's almost unbeatable!"

"Congratulations!" Miharu exclaimed.

"Beat that Tomoka!" Kirie challenged, a smug grin on her face.

"Teehehehehe" Tomoka began to giggle. "Read 'em and weep!" she said putting her pair down.

"Curtain and Moon!" Koyomi and Miharu exclaim simultaneously, the winning combo of a moon above a hill on one card, a curtain below a flower pattern on the other face up for all the players to see.

"Ugh! Oh man!" Kirie distressed. "And here I thought I was gonna win for sure..."

"Tomo and Ebi win! Tomo and Ebi!" Tomoka celebrated raising Ebi's fist high in the air.

"Nya?" Ebi meowed puzzled by what exactly had happened.

"Celebrate now while you can! I'm winning next!" Kirie growled, her competitive side surfacing.

"Bring it!" Tomoka squeaked.

After several more games of sutda and then some more games of sakura, the girls decide to move on to tea and finger pastries. Koyomi, having brung along a tea set, decided to concoct tea on a hot plate for everyone. "This is good!" Kirie said, a fancy tea cup in her hand. "What is it?"

"British black tea! It is among my favorites!" Koyomi said before taking a sip out of her own cup.

"Yummy!" Miharu exclaims after gulping down her share. "Tastes really good!"

"Glad you liked it!" Koyomi said beaming.

"Nya nyah!" Ebi lets out with a smile after taking a drink out of her sippy cup.

"Haha! I think Ebi liked it too!" Kirie said with a laugh.

"I can't wait to try the rest! There's so much variety!" Miharu said gazing wantingly at Koyomi's tea caddy.

"I brought several imported from different parts of the world!" Koyomi revealed. "Russian, British, Chinese, Indian. Seirenian even! And of course, Japanese!"

"Koyo's quite the tea connoisseur" Tomoka acclaimed.

"I don't know about being a connoisseur but I do love my tea!" Koyomi said humbly.

"I want to try them all!" Miharu said, her eyes bright with appetite.

"More pastries girls?" Kirie's mother Misuzu offered after walking into the room with a platter in her hand.

"Me! Me! Pretty please!" Miharu was quick to say, her hand high up in the air. Following tea and pastries, Miharu tunes into another one of her favorite shows, 'Super Chef'! "This is another one of my favorite shows! It's like 'Half Stomach Will Travel' but this is about a chef and how he comes up with new dishes!" Miharu described.

"Looks yummy" Tomoka said watching the chef on Kirie's television pouring a fine dark sauce atop a veggie and beef donburi.

"Another cooking show?" Koyomi remarks. "Do you watch any shows that don't involve food?"

"No, I don't think so" Miharu answers not daring to turn away from the delicious food onscreen.

"Miharu knows what she likes, that's for sure!" Kirie then said.

"Miharu, you should really consider going into cuisine when you get older" Koyomi suggests. "As a profession so you can do it to make a living!" At the uttering of these words, Miharu's face lit up.

"Y-you mean you can cook and eat for a living!?" Miharu gasped.

"Well, yeah! Pretty much" Kirie was quick to answer. "The people on your cooking shows are paid to cook, taste, eat, and to come up with new dishes. They gotta pay bills too!"

Miharu whips her head toward the television one last time, on it the chef is grilling up heavy hunks of meat, the sound of the sizzle and the look of the fire blazing. Miharu could almost smell the food which finally sends Miharu into a feeling of rapture. "Th-that's what I want to do!" Miharu exclaimed getting up off the floor and hopping in excitement.

"Hey! What's up Miharu?" Tomoka squeaked at Miharu's outburst.

"Just the other day, big brother asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up" Miharu explained. "I didn't know what to say but now I do! I want to work with food when I grow up! I want to come up with new recipes and cook for all of you! And taste new food! And eat new dishes! I, I have to tell big brother and big sister about this! I want to do it now!" Miharu says as she continued jumping up and down in excitement, her hair bouncing with her. "I can't wait! Lets go cook next! Lets all go cook something right now!" a giddy Miharu giggled.

"Whoa whoa! Miharu, calm down!" Kirie said seizing Miharu's hands. "That sounds great and all but lets focus on the sleepover tonight! Also, mom volunteered to cook dinner for us so lets just wait for that."

"But I want to cook now" Miharu moaned in disappointment.

"We can cook breakfast tomorrow morning if you want. For now, mom's cooking so lets just wait on that, okay?" Kirie explained hoping to calm Miharu down.

"Oh... Okay..." Miharu agreed disappointed.

"Don't look so down Miharu. We'll cook tomorrow morning! It's just a night's sleep away" Kirie said. "So just be patient."

"Yeah, you're right" Miharu then said satisfied. She then settles back down to watch the rest of her show.

"Better not tell her about eating contests" Tomoka whispered Koyomi and Kirie's way.

"Oh my! Miharu would be perfect for that" Koyomi said with a chuckle.

"Miharu would be a champ!" Kirie said with admiration. "But lets tell her some other time." After Miharu's show was over, Kirie decided to play music on her computer for everyone as Ebi distracted herself with a coloring book.

"Girls, dinner's ready" Kirie's mother finally announces walking into the room. "Hope desert earlier didn't spoil your appetites!"

"Alright! Tomo's starving!" Tomoka said as she hopped off Kirie's bed.

"Okay Ebi, lets go" Kirie directed Ebi's way as the other girls made their way downstairs.

"I'll bring her downstairs with me" Kirie's mother told her daughter. "You get the table ready."

"Oh, okay mom" Kirie understood and she too made her way to the first floor.

"Hello there little cutie! You hungry?" Kirie's mother whispered toward Ebi who was finishing up her coloring. "Awwww, this is adorable!" she expressed sweetly as she picked Ebi up into her arms and examined Ebi's coloring, a picture of an intricate flower which was colored in well. "I've gotta show the girls!" she said as she exited Kirie's room and joined the girls at the dinner table. "Look girls! Look what Ebi did! Isn't it the cutest!?" Misuzu Kojima asked holding Ebi's artwork up.

"Wow Ebi, that looks great!" Koyomi compliments.

"Tomo thinks it's great too!" Tomoka joined in the praise.

"That does look good! I had no idea she had such artistic ability!" Kirie complimented.

"Round of applause everyone!" Kirie's mother declares to which everyone begins to clap, much to Ebi's embarrassment.

"Nyah nyaah~" Ebi lets out scratching the back of her head shyly flattered.

"Ebi, will you let me hang your picture up on my fridge?" Mrs. Kojima then asked.

"Nyah" Ebi meows nodding her head.

"Thank you so much! Kirie, set dinner up for our cute little artist" Misuzu commanded as she debated the right spot on the fridge to place Ebi's artwork on.

"Right away mom" Kirie obeyed.

-TRANSITION-

As the sleepover was taking place next door, the door bell to the Sasaki residence rang forcing Yukinari up from his bed. "Wonder who that could be" Yukinari pondered as he headed for the front door. Opening up, he finds Kirie standing there, a bento box in her hand. "Oh, hey Kirie" Yukinari greeted. "How's the sleepover going?"

"It's going great Yukinari. I'm sorry you didn't want to join us though" Kirie apologized.

"It's not your fault Kirie. This was a girl's sleepover anyways so it would have been awkward for me to be there" Yukinari reasoned.

"You sure? You can at least come over and eat dinner with us" Kirie offers.

"No, I'm fine Kirie. Really" Yukinari continued.

"Oh... Okay" Kirie voiced with disappointment. "Here. I brought you dinner. Careful, it's hot but it's fresh!" Kirie said handing over the bento. "Hope you're hungry."

"Actually, yeah. I could use something to eat. Thanks" Yukinari thanked accepting the food. "You girls have fun."

"That's the plan!.. Good night Yukinari" Kirie said reaching out to Yukinari. Yukinari pulls her towards himself and both share a kiss.

"Good night Kirie" Yukinari returns and with that, Kirie retreats back to her house, Yukinari doing similarly.

-TRANSITION-

After dinner, the girls continued with their little get-together. Tomoka displayed some magic with her hammer, the same hammer she used to turn Ebi into her human form. This was followed by Kirie leading the girls in some yoga sessions and then chatting and joking over a few board games before it was finally time for bed. "You know, I had a lot of fun!" Kirie said as she fluffed her pillow, all the girls save for Ebi lying down inside sleeping bags atop the soft carpeting. "We should do this again next week!"

"Definitely!" Miharu agrees eagerly.

"Tomo had a good time! Did you have a good time Little Sister Ebi?"

"Nyah nyah" Ebi let out snuggling atop Kirie's bed.

"Koyomi, is that your water gun?" Kirie said after noticing the water gun in Koyomi's hand. "Are you afraid Fukuyama might attack us or something?"

"No, not really. The sleeping powder in the water gun just helps me get to sleep" Koyomi explains.

"You having trouble sleeping?" Kirie asks.

"No" Koyomi said. "It just helps induce really pleasant, soothing dreams."

"The stuff makes you dream?" Kirie then asked curiously.

"Yes!" Koyomi said happily. "For some reason, I think the sleeping powder causes me to dream about really nice, soothing things! I've gotta ask Lisa about it one day..."

"Big Sister Tomo can attest to that! Whenever Tomo uses the sleeping water, Tomo dreams of being really really tall and shadowing the whole town!" Tomoka explained. "And then I smash buildings and breathe fire! And everyone can't help but respect Tomo then! Teehehehe!" Tomoka giggled.

"Ya don't say?" Kirie said, an eyebrow raised.

"Also, it keeps the nightmares away" Koyomi then said somewhat casually.

"Nightmares?" Kirie repeats with worry. "What sort of nightmares? What's bothering you?"

"Nightmares of the pervert..." Koyomi revealed. "Terrible nightmares... Nightmares of the pervert's head on a giant monster octopus who attacks me on a deserted beach! His gloved tentacles seizing me, groping me and dragging me into the darkest depths of the ocean as he cackles in that horrible, sickening laugh of his!"

"Poor Koyomi" Miharu whispers emotionally. "That sounds horrible!"

"You know, one of these days you gotta kick his ass yourself!" Kirie said angrily. "You've gotta conquer your fears!"

"I know, you're right" Koyomi acknowledged.

"We'll be right there with you" Tomoka assured.

"Definitely" Kirie reinforced punching her palm. "But for tonight, let's just get some rest."

"Agreed" Koyomi responds. "Would you like to try some by the way?"

"Big Sister Kirie, you should try it! You'll feel really well rested tomorrow morning" Tomoka assured.

"That's tempting, Koyomi, but no thanks" Kirie refused politely. "I can fall asleep on my own."

"Suit yourself" Koyomi answered.

"You're missing out on the best sleep of your life" Tomoka said as she accepted a couple of drops on her palm. "Sweet dreams" Tomoka said before rubbing the solution on her forehead. Instants later, she collapses in her sleeping bag, a light snore escaping her.

"Oh! Me next!" Miharu said, her own hand outstretched. "I wanna dream too!"

"Here you are" Koyomi said as she dropped a small amount on Miharu's palm.

"Nighty night" Miharu said as she slapped the water on her forehead and she too, like Tomoka, laid her head to rest.

"Is that stuff even safe?" Kirie questioned as Koyomi prepared to go to sleep. "And you were supposed to use that water gun against any would-be attackers."

"We've suffered no side effects so it must be safe..." Koyomi reasoned. "And I still have the stun baton and that stuff on my palms and I'm going to go buy a pepper spray soon so I'll still have plenty of defenses against the pervert at my disposal. Anyways, good night." And with that, Koyomi moistens her forehead and she quickly succumbs to her slumber. With Ebi, Miharu, Koyomi, and Tomoka all asleep, Kirie was left awake and alone in the room.

"...Oh, what the heck" Kirie said seizing Koyomi's water gun. "Just for tonight, seeing how it's a sleepover and all" Kirie thought to herself. Approaching the window to her room, she looks across next door to the Sasaki Residence. "Psst, Yukinari" Kirie calls out across to the window to Yukinari's own room. "You there?"

"Kirie?" Yukinari responds pulling open his window curtains.

"Figured you'd be getting ready for bed right about now" Kirie said seeing her boyfriend donning night clothes.

"Sure" Yukinari confirms.

"Did you enjoy your dinner?" Kirie asked. "Hope it was filling." Yukinari confirmed with a nod.

"Yes, thank you Kirie. It was delicious" Yukinari complimented.

"I'm glad. Mom's cooking is great" Kirie said.

"Remind me to thank her in the morning" Yukinari requested.

"Sure" Kirie agreed. "Anyways, just wanted to check up on you and wish you a good night" she said kissing her palm and blowing Yukinari a kiss. Yukinari smiled warmly.

"Thanks Kirie. Good night to you too" Yukinari returned.

"Good night" Kirie repeated and both withdrew. Moments later, she would join the other girls in a very deep, restful sleep. Despite how smoothly the evening and night had gone, unbeknownst to the girls, just outside of Kirie's room the lens of a camera poked out of the greenery of a tree and peered into her room through the window. With the death of the lighting in Kirie's room, it withdrew into the tree.

-TRANSITION-

The morning after the sleepover, Yukinari, Kirie, and Miharu were making their way to school together. "Oh man! That sleepover was fun" Kirie directed at Miharu. "And that was some of the best sleep of my life!" Kirie remarks stretching her arms up skyward.

"Yeah! I feel refreshed!" Miharu said skipping alongside the other two.

"You girls had fun?" Yukinari asked.

"Definitely!" Kirie confirms. "Hey Miharu, so did you dream anything last night like Koyomi said?"

"Yeah!" Miharu said bouncily. "I dreamed about being a chef! Cooking food for myself and for big brother and big sister and all of my friends! I was the star of a cooking show that the whole world watched! Oh, now I'm all hungry!" she said wantingly.

"We just had breakfast" Kirie reminded. Miharu could only giggle.

"What about you Kirie? Did you dream anything?" Miharu inquired. Kirie thought deeply for a second.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I did dream about something" Kirie claimed. "I was standing out in the middle of the night and then suddenly, our Galaxy collided with Andromeda! You could see the arms of the galaxies in the night sky crash into each other, stars ricocheting off of each other's gravitational pull!"

"Whoa!" Miharu repeated impressed. "Stars moving!?"

"Must have looked amazing" Yukinari adds.

"It did! World media outlets reported the story for days, non-stop! The collision caused Earth to swing out of its orbit and so the sun and the moon just flew off and disappeared into the eternal expanse of the new starry arrangement in the sky as the two galaxies fused and became one! It was actually an amazing feeling: knowing that all the world was watching what you were watching! From Japan to Russia, Africa to the Americas, everyone was watching world history in the making!.. At that instant, all the world was at peace, too distracted by the sky to fight. It was so heartwarming!"

"And then what? And then what!?" Miharu asked with astonished excitement.

"I woke up" Kirie said simply.

"Oh."

"..Wouldn't we freeze to death if that were the case?" Yukinari questioned.

"It was a dream Yukinari" Kirie said shrugging her arms dismissively. "Collision's not supposed to happen for millions of years anyways" she said as the three crossed a street.

"Millions.." Miharu repeats curiously.

"So what do you guys think the school looks like now?" Yukinari asked pulling out the letter he, as a Mizuno High Schooler, had received earlier that morning.

"I'm more surprised that they could rebuild it that fast" Kirie remarks scanning the letter over Yukinari's shoulder. The letter, in summary, notified all students at Mizuno High to report to school in the morning hours that day.

"You got one too right?" Yukinari asked Kirie.

"Yeah but I left it at home. But whatever, we've got your copy." After several minutes of walking, Mizuno High became visible in the distance. "Doesn't look too different" Kirie says squinting at the structure. "But at least it looks like they've fixed most of the damage." As they got closer, they could see much of the campus had been fenced off, the sound of construction work going on behind the construction fencing. Before they could enter the main building of the school, they were met with a tall woman at the front door.

"Good morning students. Please divide yourselves into groups of male and female" the woman instructed stoically. "Males please follow the arrows along this path" she instructs pointing towards a fenced path that lead around the left of the school's main building. "Females, please follow this path" the woman said indicating along another fenced path that lead around the right of the main building.

"Hey, what's the deal with this?" Kirie was quick to question. "For what reason would you split us up?"

"Processing purposes" the woman answered simply.

"Processing purposes?.." Kirie said with heavy skepticism. "Okay then. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish I suppose. Come on Miharu" Kirie commanded leading Miharu along the path to the right. "See you in a bit Yukinari" Kirie called out.

"Sure Kirie" Yukinari acknowledged and then he set off to the path on left. He walks along the path for about a minute before coming to a solid gate, a maid standing by it.

"Through here sir" the maid instructed opening the gate. Stepping through, Yukinari finds himself outside of campus grounds and out on the sidewalk.

"H-hey! What's the meaning of this!?" Yukinari demands spinning around.

"Here you are" the maid said shoving a piece of paper into Yukinari's hands.

"Huh?" Yukinari emits reading the paper. "..Mizuno High is a girl's only school now!?" he exclaims grasping the paper in his hand. Right then, the gate is loudly closed shutting him out.

-TRANSITION-

"Welcome to Mizuno High, ladies" a maid greeted Kirie and Miharu as they approached the main campus which was populated by most of the school's female alumni. "Kirie Kojima and Miharu Sena Kanaka I believe?"

"Yes. I'm Kirie and this is Miharu" Kirie introduced.

"Hello! Nice to meet you!" Miharu greeted.

"How'd you know our names?" Kirie questioned.

"Oh, how could I not? I'm told you two have been known to cause a number of mishaps at this school in the past..." the maid said. "With all due respect, I've heard tales of your violent short temper Miss Kojima. Rather unfitting for such a buxom, young woman."

"Violent short temper!? I have no such thing!" Kirie insisted somewhat offended. "I mean, n-not anymore. Not as much as before" she then admitted turning a bit red.

"And Miharu, I've heard of your legendary appetite and some supernatural events surrounding your tutelage here" the maid commented. "Explosions and tales of cloning I must admit I can't bring myself to believe."

"I, I don't know what to say" Miharu replied.

"Whatever the case may be, please don't hesitate to think of Mizuno High as your second home" the maid said directing the girls to the main campus.

"Why is there a maid here on campus?" Kirie wondered to herself as she proceeded alongside Miharu.

"Wow! Look Kirie! A statue!" Miharu said pointing towards the center of the campus. "I don't remember the school having one of those!" Approaching other female alumni and making their way to the statue, Kirie was quick to realize why there was a maid on campus.

"Of course" Kirie muttered. "It's starting to make sense now" she said eyeing the statue in disgust. The statue Kirie and Miharu stood in front of was in the shape of Kazuharu Fukuyama holding a seemingly unconscious yet naked woman in his arms. "Why is this here!?" Kirie voiced annoyed.

"It says something on the pedestal here" Miharu said indicating the stone plaque on the short pedestal the statue stood on. "This statue is dedicated to the eternally handsome savior of womanhood" she started to read at which point Kirie, having already heard too much, steps away offended. "It is thanks to the generous philanthropist Kazuharu Fukuyama that this campus has been brought back to life from its tragic destruction. Thus, this monument has been constructed to commemorate the boundless charity and unconditional altruism of the Fukuyama Family's most beloved family member and treasured asset, Kazuharu Fukuyama."

"Haaaa!" Kirie roared swinging a heavy sledge hammer over her head and shattering the plaque into several pieces. With the pieces now on the ground, she proceeded to pound them into dust. "Savior of womanhood my ass!" Kirie spat.

"Oh my!" Miharu said in surprise, several female students turning their heads toward the commotion.

"HHAaaaaa!" Kirie lets out one last time swinging the hammer and striking the statue's head clean off. This sends Fukuyama's head flying in pieces which shatter further upon impact with the ground. "This leaves no doubt" Kirie said leaning on the hammer, her eyebrows bent angrily, "Fukuyama's behind all this!" she said as a man approached.

"H-hey! Give that back! That hammer's my responsibility!" the man, a construction worker from a part of the school still undergoing repairs exclaims.

"Here" Kirie said handing the hammer back.

"..Oh no" the man said surveying the damage to the statue. "..Boss isn't going to like this..."

"That statue was an insult! I'm sure your boss would agree!" Kirie responded. "C'mon Miharu! We're putting a stop to this!"

"But what about the processing?" Miharu objected passively. "We should wait with these other students."

"Don't worry, there'll be processing" Kirie assured. "I'm gonna process my foot up someone's ass!" Kirie growled grabbing the pink-haired Seirenian by the hand and pulling her along.

-TRANSITION-

"There's no greater feeling than the feeling of success!" Fukuyama sung as he surveyed Mizuno High's large school pool.

"Most certainly, master" Lilica agreed standing by his side.

"I've only dreamed of this moment!" Fukuyama declared with great hubris. "My woman-only paradise is within my grasp! It's only a matter of time before I'm literally swimming in pretty, young, playful ladies! Earthling and Seirenian! Hihihihihihihihihi!" he laughed triumphantly.

"Yes Master Kazuharu" Lilica again agreed.

"Dearest little sister, how is your research coming along?" Fukuyama directs at Lisa Fukuyama who was seated at a nearby bench table poring over several of her text books on portals.

"No luck so far, big brother" Lisa reported flipping through a number of pages of a dark arts text.

"Is that so? Lisa, best you be honest with me! Be mindful of the fact that I've agreed to shoulder most of the responsibility in rebuilding this school" Fukuyama reminds the blonde witch. "It's your responsibility to fulfill your end of the bargain."

"Yeah yeah" Lisa agreed with a pout.

"We both know who was responsible for the destruction after all."

"That's the seventh time you've reminded me!" Lisa protested snapping the book in her hands shut. "If you want me to open up a portal to Seiren, you're gonna have to knock that off!"

"As long as you know" Fukuyama quickly answered, a pleased grin on his face.

"Aaaauugh!" Lisa growled in frustration before getting back to the pile of books before her.

"Lilica, has the special invitation been sent out to you-know-who?" Fukuyama inquired.

"Yes master. The location of the target was confirmed the previous night and the invitations have been sent out accordingly" Lilica confirmed.

"Excellent!... It's only a matter of time..." Fukuyama lets out slowly, a dark look in his eyes. "...Like I've said: there is just no greater feeling!" Fukuyama repeated. "Hehehehe!.. Gyahahahahahaha! Kihihihihihihihihihi!" he laughed almost maniacally, much to Lisa's annoyance.

"You healed awfully fast there big brother!" Lisa grumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything" Lisa lied and retreated back behind her book.

-TRANSITION-

Back at Kirie's house Ebi was stirring, her eyes opening, as she was just waking up. Raising her head, she rubs an eye and then looks around only to quickly find Kirie's mother watching her intently. Misuzu's elbows on the bed, her head resting on her hands, Kirie's mother smiles warmly. "Good morning you little cutie!" she whispered sweetly. Quickly seizing the little girl, she assaults her with an affectionate hug. "You are such an adorable, tender little thing! I just have to adopt you!" Kirie's mother declared.

"Nyah Nyah?" Ebi meowed tilting her head to one side.

"D'awwww! Ebi! If looks could kill!" Mrs. Kojima remarked. Grabbing the yellow ribbon atop Kirie's bedside table, Misuzu ties it onto Ebi's dark green hair. "That looks so cute on you! You know, I still have Kirie's old clothes when she was about your age. I'd love to try them on you!" With her large green eyes, Ebi could only busy herself with taking in the entirety of Kirie's mother, fascinated with how much the woman resembled Kirie. "I guess you don't really care either way..." Misuzu said. "Are you hungry?"

"Nyaaah~" Ebi yawned.

"I'll take that as a yes" Misuzu said heading toward Koyomi and Tomoka who were still asleep. "I'll just leave this here for Kirie's friend" she said pulling out a letter from her back pocket and placing it visibly underneath Koyomi's pillow, something curiously observed by Ebi. "That's a letter of some sort the post office forgot to deliver. A woman in a maid's outfit delivered it herself strangely enough" Mrs. Kojima explained to Ebi. "It's not something you should worry about actually: you just get yourself out of bed and head for the kitchen when you're ready" Misuzu said exiting the room. Hopping out of bed, Ebi heads for the door but is stopped in her tracks by something she spots: Koyomi's water gun, sitting near a sleeping Koyomi, catches her eye. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Misuzu was setting the table up. "Ebi, tables almost ready- Oh! What you got there?" Misuzu asked as Ebi entered the kitchen, the water gun in her hand. "Is that a water gun? What are you gonna do?"

"Nyah!" Ebi said pointing the gun.

"What? You think you can get me with that?" she asked sizing up her little challenger.

"Nyah~!" Ebi repeats with a smile.

"Alright then! I'm game!" Misuzu said not minding a tiny bit of mindless fun. "But I must warn you! I was in my high school's track team and the years haven't slowed me down one bit!" she boasted getting into a stance, her knees bent. "Take your best shot!"

"Nyah!~" Ebi exclaims shooting a stream of water Misuzu's way.

"Ha! Almost got me!" Misuzu mocked hopping out of the way.

"Nyah!~" Ebi shoots and misses again.

"Not good enough!" Misuzu said as she ran circles around the table, Ebi giving chase. "Catch me if you can!"

"Nyah!~ Nyah!~" Ebi giggled as she continued taking shots.

"Ah! You got me!" Misuzu said after getting hit in the neck. "Okay Ebi, that's enough" Mrs. Kojima said taking the water gun from Ebi. "Our breakfast is wait-" Misuzu abruptly drops fast asleep, knocked out by Lisa's magic in the water gun.

"Nyah?" Ebi meowed frightened by what she had just seen. "Nyah! Nyah!" Ebi exclaims as she shakes Kirie's mother failing to bring her back from her dormant state. Afraid and with tears welling up in her eyes, she runs back up to Kirie's room and pulls the covers up and over her trembling head in fright.

"M-mornin' Ebi" Tomoka said just waking up. "..H-hey! What's wrong?" Tomoka was quick to tend to the frightened little girl who was starting to sob. "Tell Tomo what's the matter?"

"N-Nyah!" Ebi hops off the bed and pulls Tomoka by hand towards the sleeping housewife.

"Oh no! Mrs. Kojima, are you okay!?" Tomoka quickly gasped kneeling beside Misuzu. Then she spotted the water gun. "How did that get here? Ebi, did you squirt her!?" Tomoka demanded, her foot tapping, hands on her sides. A teary Ebi could do nothing but shiver in fear, her hands tucked in her chest with guilt, her head bowed. "..Hey, relax. She's fine! She's just sleeping" Tomoka said comforting the frightened little girl. "Look!" Tomoka said indicating Misuzu's steady breathing. "Now isn't that a relief?"

"...Nyaahh..." Ebi sighed relieved upon confirming Misuzu was okay.

"You have nothing to fear little sister!" Tomoka said patting Ebi on the head. "When Big Sister Tomo is here!" Lifting the water gun off the floor, she lectures. "Just don't play with this! It's not a toy! Now c'mon: let's go wake Koyo up and pick Mrs. Kojima up off the floor." With Koyomi's help, Tomoka manages to lift Misuzu up onto a nearby couch where she would remain soundly asleep.

"Guess I should keep a better eye on this" Koyomi remarks putting the water gun away. "And now we wait until she wakes up."

"That might not be for several hours" Tomoka noted glancing Misuzu's way. "Lisa's magic really knocks you out huh?" Tomoka said. Koyomi nods in agreement. "Anyways Koyo, Tomo found this under your pillow!" Tomoka said handing the letter over.

"For me?" Koyomi said accepting the letter and opening it up. "...It's an invitation... To the opening of an all-girls school..."

"Ooh! Free food and drink! And pool sports! Sounds like fun!" an enticed Tomoka read over Koyomi's shoulder. "Let's go!"

"I don't know... Are you sure it's okay?" Koyomi asked looking at Kirie's sleeping mother.

"Sure it is Koyo! It's going to be a while before Big Sister Kirie's mom wakes up anyways so Tomo's sure it'll be fine!" Tomoka pointed out as Koyomi watched Ebi curiously poke at Misuzu's cheek.

"We'll have to take Ebi with us then" Koyomi reasoned. "We can't leave her here.."

"So we will!" Tomoka was quick to answer. Koyomi then gave it some thought.

"Oh okay then. It does certainly sound like fun!" Koyomi agreed. "Let me just go check up on Hebi and then we'll get going!"

"Alright! Let's go!" Tomoka cheered. Moments later, as the three made their way to Mizuno, a maid sitting in a black limo observed them walking off right before flipping open a cell phone in her hand.

-TRANSITION-

Back at the school, after Lilica had just finished up a brief conversation on the phone, she approaches her master who was relaxing by the school pool as Lisa focused on her books nearby. "Master, I've just received confirmation that a Koyomi Hare Nanaka is en route to the school."

"So the invitation worked? Excellent news!" Fukuyama answered with delight. "And what of our little, insatiable, pink-haired beauty, Miharu?"

"Ah yes: I have also been notified that a Miharu Sena Kanaka has recently arrived on campus" Lilica reports.

"She wasn't accompanied by that brute of an older brother was she?" Fukuyama asked urgently.

"No Master Kazuharu" Lilica confirmed.

"This day just keeps getting better and better!" Fukuyama praised. "Shall we go see the campus then?"

"Only if it is what you desire master" Lilica agreed.

"Wonderful" Fukuyama says as he began to make his way into the school, Lilica by his side. "Keep at it Lisa. Don't you let me down!" he reminded before disappearing into Mizuno High's main building. This only earned the blonde pervert a resentful glare from his younger sister though Fukuyama was too pleased with how things were progressing to care. "So Lilica, where is Miharu now?" Fukuyama questioned making his way to the principal's office which had been relocated.

"We shall be able to find out once we get to your new office master" Lilica answers as both turn a corner. After about two minutes of walking through long hallways, they finally arrive at and enter Fukuyama's base of operations, a large office with a wide view of the campus.

"Look at them all" Fukuyama started in admiration. Looking down at the crowds of female alumni, a small amount of drool began moistening the corner of his mouth. "All those cute girls! All just for me! Not another man in sight!" he breathed heavily. "..Gah! Who would dare to vandalize my monument!?" Fukuyama demanded after spotting his damaged statue in the middle of campus. "Let me guess: Kirie!" he was quick to answer his own demand.

"Shall I launch an investigation into the incident master?" Lilica asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Kirie. Just have security handle her and the statue can be fixed later" Fukuyama said as he began to undress revealing the speedo he was wearing underneath. "Pool class should be starting up soon so be sure to send in the first batch of ladies! They're about to get a lesson in the patented Kazuharu 'breasts'-stroke! Mhmhmhmh!" Fukuyama said with a small chuckle.

"Yes master" Lilica didn't forget to agree.

-TRANSITION-

"What the hell is going on!?" Kirie exclaims looking left and right, from one end of the hallway she was standing in to the other. "Just how much has this school changed!?"

"What are we looking for again?" Miharu asked feeling similarly confused.

"The principal's office: the school's seat of power. I'd figure that's where the perv's ego would take him" Kirie reasoned. "But they've completely changed the layout to this place!"

"Good morning! Are you ladies in need of assistance?" a maid with short orange hair asked taking the two by surprise.

"Oh! Wonderful timing!" Miharu responds. "We're looking for-"

"The restroom" Kirie interrupted quickly. She was not ready to trust any of the maids now that she knew it was Fukuyama in the seat of power. "We're looking for the restroom. If you could just point us in the right direction."

"Right beside you" the maid said pointing at the door next to them.

"Ah! Silly us! There it was all along!" Kirie confirmed. "Damn!" Kirie thought to herself. She enters the restroom, Miharu following in instinctively, and Kirie enters a stall, Miharu the one next to her. Neither she nor Miharu had to use the restroom but turning her back to one of Fukuyama's maids was the last thing Kirie wanted to do so she settled for taking a seat in the stall. "What. The. Hell?" Kirie muttered to herself suddenly. She had spotted a poster of Fukuyama on the stall door looking very dignified in his pristine white uniform and gloves and striking a subtly sexy yet professional pose.

"Oh look! It's Fukuyama!" Miharu inside the next stall lets out nonchalantly. "It says 'Hang in there'! That's good!"

"...We can't let him get away with this..." Kirie thought quietly to herself. "You can go now. We'll see our way back to class" Kirie directed at the maid who was standing at the entrance of the restroom.

"Very well then" the maid agreed and stepped out to Kirie's relief. Moments later, Kirie exits her stall. Hoping to verify that the maid had indeed left, she exits the restroom alone and scans the adjacent hallways. "Coast looks clear" she mutters to herself. On her way back to the restroom however, she is intercepted at the doorway by the same maid from moments before. "H-hey! You again!? Get out of the way!" Kirie demanded.

"Sorry, don't take this personally" the maid said pulling out a jar and opening it up.

"Huh?.. Kyaaah!" Kirie screamed as several navis floated out of the container, some gravitating to the maid, others floating Kirie's way. "N-no! N-not again! Get away!" Kirie let out as she ran off in panic.

"..Hmm, it worked" the maid commented as the brunette disappeared around the hallway.

"Oh!.. Pretty!" Miharu remarked as she exited the bathroom and gazed at the navis with wonder.

"You like them?"

"Yes!" Miharu confirms brightly.

-TRANSITION-

"Can't believe we're up here" Yukinari expressed as he crawled slowly through the school's air ventilation system on the first floor.

"Yeah, I'm surprised there's enough room to crawl through" remarked Masashi as he lead the way through the air ducts.

"Or that these ducts can support our weight... What are we looking for again?" Yukinari asked as they both turned a corner.

"The principal's office: I have a feeling that's where we can learn what's up with the all-female conversion of this school" he said peeking through an air vent and into a classroom full of girls before moving on. "And it would seem to me the layout has changed" he observed.

"So then what?" Yukinari asked feeling disoriented by the maze of air ducts they were creeping through. "We're on the first floor. What if the principal's office is now on the second floor? Some of the air ducts we passed by ran vertically you know" Yukinari reminded.

"...Good point" Masashi said as they both arrived to what seemed to be the janitor's office. "So I guess we'll need to set off on foot then" Masashi said kicking out the air vent and hopping out into the office. Yukinari hops out similarly into the room in which sat a desk and was equipped with brooms, mops, cleaning supplies as well as maid and janitor uniforms hanging by the wall. "Problem is we still don't know where the principal's office is. Also, this is an all-girls school; we're not supposed to be here!"

"This is the janitor's office: I'm sure we could find a map of the school around here somewhere" Yukinari said as he started sifting through the papers atop the desk.

"But how are we getting around?" Masashi pressed on. Yukinari gave it a bit of thought.

"We could pose as janitors" Yukinari suggested. "Might provide us some sort of cover" he reasoned pointing at the uniforms.

"...That's actually a good idea" Masashi agreed after giving it some quick thought.

"Found it" Yukinari declares pulling out a small map from the mess of paper atop the desk. Moments later, after donning the janitorial outfits, Yukinari and Masashi creep out. "..Alright, coast looks clear. Let's go" Yukinari said pushing the door out to the hall open and walking out. It was just as they both stepped out that a shriek of horror pierced the air around them.

"Kyaaahh!" Before Yukinari could have turned his head toward the disturbance, he's tackled to the ground by an as-of-yet unidentified student.

"Gaah!" Yukinari let out. "What the hell!?" he exclaims with the student collapsed atop of him.

"Kirie?" Masashi asked looking at the two on the floor.

"Kirie?" Yukinari mimicked looking at the girl lying atop him.

"Yu-Yukinari!?" Kirie voiced turning her head at the boy she had run into. "Yukinari!" Kirie exclaims in relief. "I, I was so scared Yukinari!" she cried with misty eyes, her arms tightly wound around her boyfriend.

"Scared? Scared of what?"

"Th-those fireball things! They were coming after me!" Kirie answered with urgency.

"Fireball things? You mean navis?" Yukinari asked. Kirie frantically nodded her head. "But I don't see any navis around here" Yukinari said looking around and seeing nothing. Getting to his feet, he helps Kirie up also. "I'm sure they're long gone Kirie" he assures.

"A-are you sure?" Kirie asked with fright, her arms wrapped tightly around Yukinari's arm.

"Yep. Not a sign of them anywhere" Yukinari confirms looking around. Kirie looks around too and lets out a relieved sigh upon confirmation. "And besides, they're harmless!"

"They still creep the hell out of me" Kirie murmured weakly.

"Navis? Fireballs?" Masashi voiced in confusion.

"Remind me to tell you about 'em some other day" Yukinari responds. "Right now, we gotta figure out what's become of our school!"

"Yukinari, Masashi, what do you guys have on?" Kirie then inquired after examining the janitorial uniforms the boys were wearing. To this, Yukinari and Masashi explain happening to them what amounted to getting kicked out of school after being notified that Mizuno High was now an all-girls school. Rather than just accepting that however, the two decided to sneak in via the school's ventilation system and after entering the janitor's office, donning the uniforms with the hope of getting around school without arousing suspicion.

"That's about the gist of it" Masashi finished.

"I see..." Kirie understood. "A disguise?"

"This is a girl's school now" Masashi reminds. "We're not supposed to be here but maybe these uniforms will provide enough of a cover."

"And Kirie, there ARE maid uniforms in the office. You could help back our cover up" Yukinari suggested. Kirie, surprisingly, didn't give it much thought.

"Say no more" she said walking into the office only to poke her head out seconds later. "Yukinari, the uniform's got a corset. I'm gonna need your help putting it on" she requests seizing Yukinari by the hand and pulling him in.

"Here. Find the principal's office" Yukinari said handing the map of the school to Masashi before disappearing into the janitor's office. "We shouldn't take long."

"Yeah, gotcha" Masashi said accepting the map as he was left out alone in the hallway. "Lucky guy, that Yukinari" he muttered under his breath whilst studying the new school layout. Moments later, Yukinari and Kirie exit the janitor's office, Kirie now sporting the same maid outfit the other maids at the school were wearing.

"We're looking good!" Masashi complimented. "Kirie, when Yukinari asked you to, part of me didn't think you'd go for the maid outfit idea."

"If it means putting a stop to Fukuyama's plans for this school, wearing this is nothing!" Kirie boasted.

"Fukuyama? So it's Fukuyama who's behind all this?" Yukinari said slightly surprised.

"Don't tell me you're surprised" Kirie said. "I mean look! The mens restrooms are boarded up!" she said pointing at the boys restroom which was indeed boarded up. "Who would do that but Fukuyama?"

"..You're right. I should've guessed that sooner" Yukinari surrendered.

"Alright. Where to Masashi?" Kirie commanded authoritatively.

"Oh, right" Masashi reacts giving the map another quick glance. "Principla's office is on the second floor, northeast from here. Follow me" he instructs leading the way.

"By the way Kirie, where's Miharu?" Yukinari asked as the three walked across a hall.

"I lost her" Kirie admitted somewhat guiltily, the three starting an ascent up the stairs to the second floor.

"Did you get chased off by the navis?" Yukinari guessed.

"..Y-yeah" Kirie muttered ashamed. "But I'm gonna rescue Miharu, no doubt about it!" Kirie boasted.

"Definitely" Yukinari agreed. Just then, a maid approaches the three from across the second floor hall. All three tense up, the space between the maid and the three shrinking. The maid then passes them by with little more than a fleeting glance and continues on her way.

"...Phew" Yukinari breathed. "Disguises worked."

"And here we are" Masashi said coming to a door. "Principal's office."

"Lair of the perverted beast!" Kirie growled.

"Locked" Yukinari reported jiggling the door handle. "We came this far and Fukuyama might not be in there.. This sucks."

"You guys wait here just a second. I'm sure janitor's office has the keys" Masashi declares and he speeds off leaving Yukinari and Kirie by the locked door.

"Guess we wait then" Yukinari said as Kirie jiggled the door handle.

"..Unless.." Raising her leg high up in the air, she brings it down aggressively. Crash! Her heel collides with the door handle, it breaks off violently, hits the floor loudly, and a look of satisfaction overtakes Kirie's face. "Cutting corners on construction are we Fukuyama? Such horrible disregard for the alumni here could land you in some real hot water" Kirie hisses picking up the handle and chuckling to herself, a dark grin on her face.

"G-good going Kirie" Yukinari said impressed and feeling a tiny amount of fear at her ferocity. Stomp! With a sense of urgency for Miharu's welfare, Kirie kicks the door open.

"Fukuyama!" she shouted angrily charging into an empty room.

"...Is not here..." Yukinari finished for the angry brunette.

"Not here!?" Kirie repeated. "I was almost sure he'd be here!" she asked approaching the desk which, along with the room, was illuminated by natural light coming in through the windows.. "This place reeks of his ego" she said looking at the large portrait of Fukuyama hanging up behind the desk.

"And these magazines are definitely his" Yukinari said looking at the interesting reading material atop the desk.

"Dammit! So if he's not here, then where?" Kirie inquired.

"More importantly, where could Miharu be?" Yukinari reminds.

"That especially" Kirie said. Suddenly, the lights in the room are flicked on taking the two by surprise.

"You two don't work here" a maid at the entrance, noticing Yukinari and Kirie's outfits, said aloud.

"Crap!" Yukinari muttered under his breath.

"S-sure we do! We're new here!" Kirie said in a doomed attempt to convince the maid. "And we got lost looking for the, uh-"

"Intruders must be dealt with" the maid said reaching for the light switch.

"I'm telling you! We work here!" Kirie insisted.

"We're here to clean the room" Yukinari added. The maid remains unconvinced. Pressing a hidden button under the light switch, she causes a trap door to give way under the intruders' feet.

"Aaaaaahhh!" Yukinari and Kirie scream as they both fall through the floor, pitch black greeting their senses as they slide down a long, dark tunnel. The descent was not for long, their fall ceasing as soon as they land upon a hard, cold steel surface. Though the fall was over, conditions were still pitch black.

"Yu-Yukinari!? Yukinari, where are you!?" Kirie let out through the dark in fear.

"I'm right here Kirie" Yukinari said, his arms finding her through the darkness and they embrace.

"Oh thank goodness! I thought we were goners!" Kirie said with relief.

"Me too Kirie but we're okay. Question now is where are we?" Both could feel nothing but the cold steel floor until they discover they were surrounded by vertical iron bars. A loud clanging sound, like that of a metal door shutting, then rings out.

"Wh-what was that!?" Kirie gasped.

"Where are we going?" Yukinari asked suddenly feeling themselves moving. "Anyone there?" No response.

"We know you're there you bastards! Let us go!" Kirie growled but still no response is heard. Instants later, they come to a stop.

"We've stopped moving" Kirie noted.

"Reveal the intruders" the unmistakable voice of Fukuyama pierced the dark. A thick veil is pulled from over the cage Yukinari and Kirie were sitting in. Now their sight restored, they find themselves locked in a cage by the school pool. The pool was populated with a large number of female students in bikini partaking in water sports like pool volleyball and high board diving. At the center of this arrangement was Fukuyama lounging atop a luxurious and wide pool float complete with hand rests and sun shade.

"Fukuyama, you bastard! What's the meaning of all this!?" Kirie spat fiercely. "Where do you get off doing this to our school!? Who do you think you are!? You've tried something like this before, running out of ideas are you!? And where's Miharu!? You better not have done anything weird to her! I swear I'll make you regret it!" she threatened.

"As if you're in any position to make threats Kirie" Fukuyama said too relaxed to be bothered by the brunette's angry protests. "I'll let you two out of your prison once today's school is done: you should think of it as punishment for your transgressions!" Fukuyama suggested. "And if you must know, I've been left in charge of rebuilding this school and I've taken the liberty to build it to my liking. I'm sure you mind Kirie but I don't care: if you'd like, I could just have you expelled. A fitting end for destroying my statue!"

"Destroying his statue?" Yukinari wondered quietly to himself.

"No need: I'll gladly transfer myself out of this school, thank you" Kirie remarked snidely. Examining Kirie's maid outfit, Fukuyama continues.

"Shame. I could have used a busty maid like you but... used goods are no good" Fukuyama insulted underhandedly.

"Why don't you say that to my face!" Kirie exploded, a vein pulsating in her temple, her hands grasping the iron bars of the cage. "Let me out of here! Let me out!"

"Kirie, relax" Yukinari whispers seizing the brunette's tensed shoulders. He hated seeing Kirie so upset. "Shouting at him isn't going to get us anywhere."

"But Yukinari, the bastard's talking shit!" Kirie said through clenched teeth.

"Let him spout nonsense, Kirie. Just don't let him get to you" Yukinari advised. "There are more important things to worry about than petty insults" he said succeeding at calming Kirie down. He then turned to Fukuyama. "Fukuyama, just answer one thing: what have you done with Miharu?" he asked firmly.

"Jeez you two are dense" Fukuyama drawled. "She's right over there" he said indicating lazily toward the long end of the pool. There, they spot a long table stacked and overflowing with a colorful assortment of foods: various breads, meats, noodles, rice, salads, and soups. Unsurprisingly, Miharu was seated before it and digging in, a fork and knife in hand. "Miharu, how's the food?"

"It's delicious Fukuyama!" Miharu answered with a giggle.

"Miharu! Get us out of here!" Kirie yelled upon confirming Miharu's presence.

"Huh? Oh! Hello Kirie! Hello Yukinari!" Miharu exclaims skipping over right after seizing handfuls of yakitori, a kebab-like food. "Wow Kirie! You look cute in that maid outfit!"

"Miharu, get us out of here!" Kirie asked urgently.

"Uhmm..." A puzzled look overcomes Miharu's face. She taps the vertical bars with a finger. "But I don't know how..."

"Use your star mark! Blow these bars up!" Kirie commanded. Miharu, staring down the bars, concentrates. She glares at them, her eyes focused, her face in a pout.

"Stand back" Kirie directed at Yukinari as she backed away. Despite this, a tense minute passes without anything happening.

"...I'm sorry Kirie. I think it only happens when I'm upset" Miharu said after a fruitless minute.

"Are you serious?.. Damn it" Kirie muttered in disappointment.

"You guys want some?" Miharu said offering yakitori.

"Sure" Yukinari agreed accepting two through the bars.

"Miharu, dessert!" Fukuyama notifies.

"Dessert!?" Miharu repeats excitedly. "Hey! If you guys want some more, let me know!" she directs at the captives before returning to the table where dessert, large bowls of ice cream and chilled pudding, was being set up by Fukuyama's maids.

"She was our only hope..." Kirie muttered as Miharu departed. "Now what do we do?"

"Yakitori?" Yukinari offered one of the two in his hands. Kirie examines the offering for a moment.

"...Okay... Thanks" she accepted, a depressed tone to her voice.

"Cheer up Kirie" Yukinari said taking a seat at a corner of their small prison and beckoning Kirie to join him. "At least now we know Miharu's okay" he consoled, Kirie accepting the invitation and sitting next to him.

"She's better than okay" Kirie adds looking Miharu's way who was nibbling at an ear of corn. "That's probably why Fukuyama's feeding her: to keep her from blowing up the place. And with that much food in front of her, there's no way you can bring her down."

"..Yakitori's pretty good" Yukinari commented.

"..Yeah" Kirie agrees after tasting her own.

"For now Kirie, let's just get comfortable and relax" Yukinari said wrapping an arm around the brunette. "We can't do much in here except sit and observe so we'll do just that."

"Observe huh? Not sure I can stomach Fukuyama and his objectifying for too long though" Kirie whispers resentfully.

"Refreshment! I require another refreshment!" Fukuyama suddenly shouted out holding an empty soda bottle in hand.

"Right here Fukuyama!" a short-haired girl declared coming to the perverted blonde's rescue with a new bottle.

"Thank you sweetheart" Fukuyama thanked. "Bottle opener! Bottle opener!" he then demanded.

"Right here Fukuyama!" another girl in a purple bikini parroted giddily approaching Fukuyama's pool float.

"There you are" Fukuyama sings as the girl squeezed her boobs together. Jamming the bottle into the girl's cleavage, he pops the bottle cap right off with a twist. "Lovely talent you have there, thank you... honey!" he says failing to recall the girl's name.

"Anytime Fukuyama!" the girl said departing as Fukuyama drank, a smug look on his face.

"How's the cage treating you two?" Fukuyama mocked looking especially comfy in his pool float before taking another swig of his drink. "Consider that punishment for intruding, Punynari! And for defiling my monument, Kirie!" Fukuyama chastised.

"Ignore it Kirie" Yukinari whispers.

"Don't worry, I'm ignoring it Yukinari" Kirie whispers back, her head resting on Yukinari's shoulder, both their yakitoris finished.

-TRANSITION-

"Guys! Got the keys!" Masashi, key ring in hand, declared arriving back to the principal's office only to find it forced open and empty. "Guys?.. Where'd they go?" Masashi pondered to himself. "This is Fukuyama's office for sure" Masashi said not failing to notice the large portrait of Fukuyama hanging up on the wall behind the desk. Approaching, his attention is immediately drawn to the reading material sitting atop the desk. "Hmm.. Not bad! They look nice" he compliments flipping through the pages. "I'll have another look later" he thought as he rolled up the magazine and put it into his deep back pocket. He then searched the room for any clues to Yukinari and Kirie's whereabouts. Coming to the window overlooking the pool, he spots Fukuyama dismissing several attractive girls from the pool. "Well, they're not here. Perhaps Kazuharu might know" Masashi guessed beginning his way to the pool. There, he spots Fukuyama out of the pool, drying off with a towel, and welcoming another group of girls.

"Welcome to swim class, ladies!" Fukuyama directed at the girls some of which were swooning at the sight of Fukuyama in a speedo. "There are no rules in this classroom, just go in for a quick dip and have fun! Let the waters cleanse you of your worries and stresses in life!" Fukuyama said as the girls entered the pool.

"No rules Fukuyama?" one of the girls asked sweetly as she admired Fukuyama's physique.

"That's right my sweet! No rules" Fukuyama answers eyeing the girl similarly. As he did so, Masashi approached taking by surprise some of the female alumni.

"Ladies" Masashi greeted the attractive alumni.

"Who's he?", "I thought this was an all-girls school?", "He looks like the janitor" were among the whispers trailing Masashi's path.

"Hey there Fukuyama! Like what you've done with the place!" Masashi greets.

"Huh?" Fukuyama turned around. "Gaaah!" he exclaims at the sight of Masashi. "What the hell!? A man!?" Fukuyama gasped offended. "What the hell are you doing here!?" the wealthy blonde demands.

"Well, this used to be my school Kazuharu" Masashi reminded. "I liked going here to this school! And I can't help but notice you've got some of my friends locked up in a cage" he went on pointing in the direction of the imprisoned Yukinari and Kirie.

"H-hey, is that Masashi?" Yukinari murmurs at Kirie.

"It, it is!" Kirie said with a renewed sense of hope. "Masashi! Masashi! Get us out of here!" Kirie shouted from inside the cage.

"Don't worry! I'll get you guys out!" Masashi declares with a heroic tone to his voice. "As much as I don't mind the new male-to-female ratio, I can't stand idly by as you imprison Yukinari and Kirie!"

"Ha! And what do you pretend to do about it?" Fukuyama challenges, his arms folded smugly, an overconfident smirk on his face.

"This!" Masashi closes the gap between himself and the blonde and plants his hands upon Fukuyama's chest.

"Gaaaah!" Fukuyama screams in horror, his body assaulted by an outbreak of hives. "Aaah! D-don't touch me!"

"Whoa.. So it's true" Masashi said. "You're allergic to guys!"

"Yeah! Get him Masashi!" Kirie cheered on.

"Wh-who the hell told you!?" Fukuyama growled. "Kirie, was it you!?"

"Maybe I did!" Kirie mocked. "Masashi, kick his ass and get us out of here!" Kirie shouts.

"Your abuses end here!" Masashi threatens approaching once again.

"Kuh kuh kuh kuh kuh" Fukuyama chuckled. "Mwahahahaha! You think you've pulled a fast one on me do you?" With a snap of his fingers, a team of maids immediately assemble into a wall in Fukuyama's defense and surround Masashi from all sides.

"...He-hello ladies" Masashi greets the maids nervously.

"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" Fukuyama blurts out. "Bwahahahaha!"

"Oh damn" Kirie mutters weakly.

"Got our hopes up too soon" Yukinari surrendered.

"Ladies, care to direct me to the janitor's office?" Masashi directs at the steely-eyed, intimidating maids. "I've got some cleaning to do. I 'am' the janitor after all... Hehe..."

"Crap" Kirie groaned moments after Masashi was shoved into the cage along with Yukinari and herself.

"Sorry guys" Masashi apologized. "They overpowered me and outnumbered me!" he explained.

"We know. We saw" Kirie sighed.

"And the maids were pretty cute! I just couldn't fight back!" Masashi adds.

"...Eh..." Kirie lets out not knowing what to say to that.

"So now what?" Yukinari asks.

"Now" Fukuyama answers demeaningly, "you three sit there quietly! I want you three to think of this cage as your punishment for your transgressions! Not to worry though for Kazuharu Fukuyama is merciful and he shall let you out... Eventually" Fukuyama revealed departing. "Now if you'll excuse him, Kazuharu Fukuyama will be enjoying the rest of swim class without interruption! Hihihihihihihi!"

-TRANSITION-

"A pool with a buffet next to it!?" Tomoka gasped, her eyes wide with eager delight.

"That's right! And it's free!" confirms the maid, a tall one, guiding Koyomi, Tomoka, and Ebi around the school campus.

"Did you hear that Koyo!? Free buffet!" Tomoka, leading Ebi by the hand, exclaimed.

"That sounds great" Koyomi comments as the four pass by the headless and plaqueless campus statue.

"Don't mind the damage" the maid said referring to the monument. "One of our students lost her temper and took out her frustrations on the statue. It will be fixed soon enough."

"Who was the statue of?" Tomoka asked.

"The founder of the school. Whatever the case, it's not important" the maid answered before the four moved along though not without Koyomi worriedly glancing back at the damaged statue.

"This is an all-girls school now so no need to worry" Koyomi thought. Of particular note to her was the fact that the boys restrooms had been boarded up. Relaxing was easier knowing she wasn't going to run into any unknown males.

"Hope you girls brought swimsuits" the maid said as the four arrived at the school lockers.

"Of course!" Tomoka answered before Koyomi could.

"Excellent! Right this way" the maid said as Koyomi, Tomoka, and Ebi walked into the girls lockers. Koyomi got herself into a dark purple swimsuit and Tomoka into a dotted orange one-piece. Finally, with Tomoka's help, Ebi got into a baby blue, frilled two-piece.

"Big Sister Tomo's got you covered Ebi!" Tomoka said standing before a mirror. "Tomo thinks you look great by the way! Hope Ebi likes it!"

"Nyah nyah!" Ebi, a smile on her face, expressed looking herself over.

"Have fun ladies" the maid said moments later as Koyomi, Tomoka, and Ebi approached the pool.

"That's the plan!" Tomoka said leading the way and by the pool, spotting Miharu.

"You guys thirsty?" Miharu directed at Fukuyama's prisoners. "They've got green tea!"

"I could use a drink" Masashi said biting at a yakitori of his own. "And a curry bread please."

"Me too. Tea and a curry bread too please" Yukinari joined in as he finished up a chicken katsu.

"What about you Kirie? Would you like some tea?"

"..No thanks" Kirie, resenting her imprisoned state, said despirited. "This udon's enough" she said eating 'stamina' udon from a cup.

"Okay then! Two green teas coming up!" Miharu sung as she skipped back to the table. With refreshments in hand, she made her way back.

"Miharu?" Koyomi said intercepting Miharu.

"Koyomi! Tomoka and Ebi too! You guys came!" Miharu greeted with glee as she embraces Koyomi warmly.

"Yes! Here for the food more than anything!" Tomoka said having skipped breakfast that morning. "Tomo's starving!"

"Right over there" Miharu directed pointing at the table.

"Alright! Let's go Ebi!" Tomoka said bee lining towards the table, Ebi not far behind.

"So Miharu, what are you up to?" Koyomi asked following Miharu toward Fukuyama's captives.

"Just grabbing tea for Yukinari and Masashi" Miharu said arriving at the cage. "Here you are!" she said handing over the refreshments.

"Thanks!" Masashi said accepting the drink.

"Koyomi? What are you doing here?" Yukinari asked with concern.

"Yukinari? Masashi? I thought this was an all-girls school?" Koyomi gasped. "What are you guys doing in there!?" she then exclaims with alarm.

"It's as you said Koyomi" Yukinari confirms. "We got caught in an all-girls school so we're in here" he said with some shame.

"So what brings you here Koyomi?" Masashi asked feeling relaxed by all the bikini-clad girls in the pool.

"K-Koyomi!? Wh-why are you here!?" Kirie almost blurts out upon realizing the Seirenian's presence. "You've got to get out of here!" she urged.

"Why!? What's wrong!?"

"You've got to get out of here before-"

"Before what Kirie?" a relaxed, suave voice intercepted just from behind Koyomi.

"Eeep!" Koyomi releases, her skin crawling at Fukuyama's voice assaulting her ears and at a hand hooking around her waist.

"But Koyomi is in very, very good hands here at Mizuno High!" Fukuyama says smoothly, Koyomi stiff with fear, her expression frozen with horror. "Why would she want to go?"

"Fukuyama, knock it off!" Yukinari demanded.

"Can't you see you're scaring her!? Let her go!" Kirie growls.

"Knock it off! Let her go?" Fukuyama parroted. "Koyomi came of her own free will! She accepted my invitation after all!" Fukuyama said pulling in the petrified Koyomi close.

"Fukuyama! We're ready for our oil massages!" came a voice from a row of bodacious girls lounging face-down by the pool, their backs bare.

"In a second ladies" Fukuyama responds. "Just securing another to my harem! Mhmhmhmhmhmhmm!" he chuckles, his grip on Koyomi tightening.

"Get your sicko hands off of her Fukuyama!" Kirie exclaims, her demands adamant. Fukuyama ignores her.

"Koyomi" Fukuyama began, "care to join the girls in a sensual oil massage administered by yours truly? I promise, I'll be extra gent-" SLAP!

Like the crack of a whip, the sound reverberates sharply through the open air, bouncing off walls and gliding over the surface of the pool. Heads reflexively turn to the source of the sound catching sight of Fukuyama staggering back, Koyomi's arm stiff and a collective gasp from around the pool responds.

"Oh my!" Miharu said, her palm over her mouth.

"Whoa" Yukinari said wide-eyed.

"Yeah Koyomi! Show that perv who's boss!" Kirie celebrates.

"Wait, what just happened? I missed it!" Masashi gasped distracted by his curry bread and the girls in bikini.

"Wh-what's it going to take to get it through your thick skull!?" Koyomi exclaimed. "I-I want nothing to do with you! I want you to stay away from me! Stay away from me forever!" she shouted upset but with complete conviction and force in her voice.

"You tell him Koyomi!" Yukinari cheered.

"Aaaaaaaaah!" Fukuyama screamed as a familiar red palm print on his face appeared. "I-i-it buuurns!" he wailed grabbing for his face and retreating to the pool. He dips his head into the pool extinguishing the effect of the burning ink on his face.

"Fukuyama, are you okay?" Miharu asked worried by the sounds of his pain. Fukuyama pulls his head out dripping wet, Koyomi's red palm violently imprinted on his cheek.

"I'm perfectly fine Miharu honey" he said regaining his boastful composure and perfect complexion save for the palm-shaped imprint. "Don't you worry about me! As a matter of fact, I'm more than better now!" he said refocusing his eyes upon his prey.

"Stay away from me, y-you perv! I swear, I, I'm not afraid of you" Koyomi said trying not to lose nerve. It was particulary difficult for her however since, with a large body of water nearby, the situation resembled her nightmares. Fukuyama's mouth adopts a vile smirk upon detecting a hint of fear.

"Koyomi, you're powerless now!" Fukuyama said. "As it turns out, water is the weakness to that horrid power Lisa has taught you! You have nothing left!" he snarled.

"N-no!" Koyomi breathed with fright. With water dripping from Fukuyama's head and his fingers wriggling ready to assault her, she could see herself getting dragged into the water where she would indeed be helpless.

"Fukuyama, once I'm out of here, I swear I'll make you regret all of this!" Kirie exclaims.

"I-I'm not afraid of you!" Koyomi challenged feeling emboldened somehow. She takes a shaky step forward in defiance.

"Oh!" he said looming over Koyomi, his hands ready to grope away. "Such bravery! That's really hot! I like that!" he growled, steam shooting out his nostrils. Fukuyama's depraved behavior now was making Koyomi feel angry. Slapping him felt like a release of sorts: the fact that she had done it made her want to do it again and more. Whether through kicking, biting, scratching, she wanted to wipe that perverse smirk off of Fukuyama's face.

"I, I-I'm not running away!" Koyomi said standing her ground as Fukuyama approached.

"Good! Don't!" Fukuyama growled titillated. He charges and wraps his arms around Koyomi. She, in retaliation, presses her palms against his face.

"Smack him again Koyomi!" Kirie shouted.

"Get your hands off of me!" Koyomi exclaimed, smoke rising from Fukuyama's face.

"Aaaaaahh!" he shouted feeling as though his face were ablaze. Despite the enduring pain, his screaming ceases. He then grins connivingly at Koyomi, picks her up off her feet, and begins carrying her to the pool in hopes of rendering Lisa's magic powerless. "Let us head... F-for a dip... Sh-shall we?" Fukuyama said through clenched teeth, through the growing, scorching pain. Koyomi's heart nearly sinks, her nightmare haunting her, but she remains resilient.

"Let me go!" Koyomi demands kicking and kneeing Fukuyama. With a well landed knee to the stomach, Koyomi manages to free herself.

"Urgh!" Fukuyama grunts doubling over.

"No means no!" With another swipe, Koyomi slaps the perv's reddened face a second time. Succumbing to the attack and his cooking face, he rolls over and into the pool. He leaves Koyomi standing alone breathing heavily, not panicked but rather aggravated.

"Koyomi, you did it!" Kirie and Miharu chanted in unison.

"Well done Koyomi!" Yukinari joined.

"Impressive!" Masashi complimented.

"Th-thank you guys" Koyomi thanked bowing her head bashfully.

"Now get us out of here!" Kirie requested with urgency. "Do it before Fukuyama recovers!" Koyomi rushes towards the door to the cage and notices a keyhole.

"This needs a key" Koyomi notified the prisoners.

"Oh! That reminds me" Masashi said pulling out the key ring from before. "I got these ke-" he is cut off by a collective groan from both Kirie and Yukinari.

"You should have said sooner!" Kirie reprimanded.

"S-sorry! Slipped my mind!" Masashi said surrendering the keys to Koyomi. The key ring must have had 50 keys in it and Koyomi quickly began the arduous task of finding a key that fit the cage door.

"Not this one" Koyomi said after struggling with the first key. "It's not this one either" Koyomi said following a second key. Meanwhile, Fukuyama's vandalized face finally surfaces from the pool, his scheming eyes focused on Koyomi.

"Koyomi" the pervert began climbing out of the pool, "don't think that this is over!" he threatened.

"Eeek!" Koyomi wailed dropping the key ring.

"Koyomi, we'll find the key!" Yukinari said seizing the ring and resumed work on finding the right key. "You've gotta buy us some time!"

"I, I... I'll try" Koyomi said knowing that meant more physical struggling against Fukuyama.

"Thank you Koyomi, thank you so much!" Yukinari thanked handing the keys to Miharu who, standing outside the cage, had a better vantage point. As the search for the cage key resumed, Koyomi stood her ground against Fukuyama a second time.

"This is getting real old real quick" Fukuyama condemned impatiently.

"I'm not letting you have your way Fukuyama!" Koyomi declared in firm defiance.

"That's it! No more Mr. Nice Guy!" Fukuyama barked. "Prepare yourself Koyomi! Things are about to get nasty! Really really nast-"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Tomoka interrupted eating from a plateful of food. "What's with all the commotion?" It was not long however before she noticed the red coloring to Fukuyama's face. "Whoa! Hey Koyo, is the big stupid perv giving you trouble or someting?" Tomoka squeaked.

"Tomoka, go play elsewhere. The grown-ups are talking" Fukuyama said shooing Tomoka away.

"Hey! What are you trying to say!?" Tomoka blurted out offended. "Tomo will have you know that she is a respected Space Travel Agency employee! And an accomplished one too! And she's a big sister! You hear that!? That means Tomo's the older sister!" Tomoka boasted. "Hey, are you listening!?"

"..An angel..." Fukuyama, spellbound, muttered. "A blessing from the heavens!"

"What!?" Following the perv's eyes, Tomoka spots Ebi sitting plainly by the long table drinking apple juice from a sippy cup and then letting out the tiniest of burps.

"B-beauty given shape! Love encapsulated by smooth, tender flesh!" Fukuyama acclaimed as he lost all interest in Koyomi. "She's femininity solidified! She's the pique of perfection! An ode dedicated to the female anatomy! A miracle of the universe!" he voiced in jubilation and began walking slowly towards the little Ebi.

"Oh no you don't you big stupid pervert! You keep your hands off of Little Sister Ebi!" Tomoka protests angrily. Not a single word reached Fukuyama's perked up ears, ears solely focused on picking up on Ebi's gentle breathing. "Tomo said no!" Tomoka squeaks and she wraps herself around Fukuyama's ankle in hopes of slowing him down. Fukuyama continues his walk carrying Tomoka as though she were weightless. "Grrrr!" Tomoka growls wrestling with Fukuyama's leg in vain.

"Fukuyama! When are you giving us the sensual massages you promised?" a girl, holding her loosened bikini top to her chest, asked impatiently as she intercepted the spellbound blonde. "The rest of the girls and I are tired of waiting!" she said indicating several other attractive girls lounging by the pool.

"Do not tempt me from the righteous path, wench!" Fukuyama barked not diverting his eyes a nanometer from Ebi's direction. Placing his palm directly over the insulent girl's face, he shoves her aside and into the pool and she lands with a loud splash. "I have no need for any of you hussies!" he condemned loudly. "I have found purity! Unsullied! Free from the blemishes of this corrupt, imperfect, filthy world!" Fukuyama sung to the heavens. Funnily enough, with Fukuyama now completely uninterested, Koyomi felt disappointed: she had never felt so brave and ready to confront the rich deviant only to be let down by having the affair end so anticlimactically.

"That, that's it?" Koyomi exhaled feeling deflated that Fukuyama no longer harbored even a minute interest in her. Demoralized, she collapses with a sort of exhaustion.

"Koyomi, you okay?.." Kirie asked noting Koyomi's collapse. "..Where's Fukuyama head- What's Ebi doing here!?" Kirie exclaims. "Why is Ebi here!?"

"Ebi?" Yukinari noted.

"Ebi? The little girl?" Masashi accompanied, Miharu still busily working to find the key to the cage.

"FUKUYAMMAAAAA!" Kirie bellowed. "Lay a single finger on her head and I swear I'LL KILL YOU!" Not a single word registered with the blonde rich boy.

"Nyah?" Ebi meowed as she noticed the tall figure approaching her. "Nyaaa!" she screamed in panic upon noticing it was a predator from long ago, Fukuyama.

"Ebi~" Fukuyama said smoothly with arms spread wide and ready to pounce. "Come to papaa~!" he yelled lunging for the little girl. With surprising agility, Ebi evaded the attack and, to everyone's surprise, she leapt into the pool.

"AAAaaaaahh!" Kirie screamed in horror. "Someone, get her out! She'll DROWN!" Looking around frantically, she fails to find a lifeguard or even anyone resembling such a person. "Fukuyama! You have NO lifeguards!?"

"Nonsense!" Fukuyama dismissed readily. "You're looking at one!" he gloated, fists at his sides. "Don't you worry! Ebi's in very, veerry good hands! And relax!" he assured wearing a lewd grin. "I know mouth-to-mouth!"

Kirie didn't know whether to feel more angry at Fukuyama or more fearful for Ebi's safety and a mixture of both overtook her as she began kicking desperately at the vertical bars of the cage. "Let me OUT!" she cried.

"Ladies, out of the pool! A rescue is in progress!" Fukuyama commanded and the pool vacates. "Here I come Ebi! To your rescue!~" Fukuyama said and gracefully dove into the pool, his pursuit of the little girl resuming. Kirie could only watch helplessly, tears welling up in her eyes afraid Ebi might either drown or fall into Fukuyama's vile hands.

"No! N-no! Please no!" Kirie cried falling into Yukinari's arms. "Yukinari! We have to do something!" she pleaded.

"Koyomi, Miharu, you'll have to go in there!" Yukinari told the two Seirenians.

"R-right!" Koyomi said readying a dive into the pool.

"But the keys" Miharu responds.

"We'll worry about that! Hand them over!" Yukinari commands extending his hand. Before Miharu could obey and with Koyomi just about to dive in, Masashi speaks.

"Wait guys! Look!" Masashi gasped in disbelief.

"Incredible!" Koyomi said astonished.

"Whoa! Look at her go!" Tomoka cheered at the sight. To everyone's complete surprise, Ebi was not only capable of swimming, she swam with the skill rivaling that of an Olympic contender. With arms rotating and legs kicking, Ebi shot through the water and in seconds she got from the shallow end of the pool to the deeper end before her head surfaced.

"Wow, did you see that!?" Yukinari asked aloud.

"Ebi's got skill!" Masashi praised. "Well what do ya know!?"

"I, I'm just glad she's not drowning" Kirie, with moistened eyes, said with deep relief.

"Hm! You're indeed quite the swimmer!" Fukuyama complimented. "Oh Ebi~! Come to Fukuyama!" he called out invitingly as he swam in close. "I'm here to rescue you~!" Fukuyama pounces, his arms lunging forward and Ebi dodges, her head going under and like a torpedo, she blasts through the water nimbly evading Fukuyama's aimless but devious clutches. "Hold still!" Fukuyama growls as water splashed violently around him. Ebi swims and surfaces a safe distance away from the perv.

"Nyah nyaah!" Ebi mocked, her tongue out.

"Haha! She's got a bit of spunk in her!" Masashi laughed. "Good for her!"

"Why you little" Fukuyama grumbled through clenched teeth. Being outmaneuvered by a little girl was anything but flattering but even with his ego, there was no way he could stay angry at such a cute little girl like Ebi. "Ebi, no need to be afraid of me! Come with me and I can get you a lot of candy!" Fukuyama tempted.

"Humph!" Ebi huffed turning her face away in rejection.

"D-don't let him have his way Ebi!" Koyomi cheers.

"Oh! Be that way then! It's only a matter of time until I catch you though" Fukuyama said swimming in pursuit. "Here I come!" Ebi dives deep underwater almost beyond Fukuyama's reach, Fukuyama closes in and plunges his arms into the water narrowly catching Ebi's leg. Ebi outswims him once again, gets on Fukuyama's six and seizing the top of his speedo, pulls up as hard as her little hands would allow. Fukuyama surfaces immediately. "Aaaaah!" he screams in pain grasping his swimwear.

"What happened?" Yukinari asks.

"Looks to me like Ebi wedgied Fukuyama" Masashi reasoned.

"She can do that!?" Yukinari questioned surprised.

"Ha! Serves him right the perv!" Kirie said.

"That really hurt! How could you people cheer on my suffering!?" Fukuyama shouted aghast. "Urgh!" Fukuyama grunts just before a metal serving platter hits him flat on the face.

"Alright Koyo!" Tomoka cheered.

"That's what you get for preying on us!" Koyomi snapped. The platter slides off of the pervert's reddened face revealing clenched teeth, an eye twitching in annoyance, and his ears as though they were about to shoot out steam from anger. He had run out of patience at this point.

"Maids! Seize them!" the perv shouts and at once, his legion of maids again burst onto the scene and quickly move to apprehend Fukuyama's adversaries. "Careful with the pink one, she can blow the place up. Just seize the keys and feed her!"

"Hey! Let Big Sister Tomo go!" Tomoka protested.

The maids grab hold of Koyomi, Tomoka and right before Miharu was detained, she tosses the keys into the cage. Masashi seizes them. To keep Miharu happy, a maid hands her a long, fat gourmet sub.

"Oh! Thank you!" Miharu said as she began nibbling away at the sandwich. "Delicious!"

"What shall we do with them master?" one of the maids then asked.

"Just keep them put! If they get too noisy, tape their mouths shut!" Fukuyama commanded heavily. "I'm about to bag me an angel!" Fukuyama said turning his lecherous eyes back to Ebi. "Now Ebi, I understand we've had our differences but that's no reason we can get along! I'm a nice guy!" The grin on Fukuyama's face did not fool Ebi. She shakes her head adamantly. "I'll tell you what: if you come with me, I'll let the prisoners go!" Fukuyama said indicating the cage where Yukinari, Kirie, and Masashi were jailed in, and Miharu, Koyomi, and Tomoka held firmly in place by Fukuyama's henchwomen. "What do you say?" Ebi gazed sympathetically at Fukuyama's prisoners as though mulling over the deal.

"Don't do it! Stay away from the pervert!" Kirie warned. "He's lying to you!"

"You can let them go Ebi!" Fukuyama said. "All you have to do is join me and I will raise you to be the greatest of maids the Fukuyama household has ever known!" To everyone's surprise, Ebi begins swimming slowly towards Fukuyama.

"No! Don't do it! Save yourself Ebi!" Yukinari called out and soon, everyone else was urging her not to give into Fukuyama's will.

"Stop! You listen to your Big Sister Tomo and stop!" Tomoka commanded loudly.

"No Ebi! Don't!" Koyomi alerted. "He's a crazed pervert!"

"That's a good girl" Fukuyama said with Ebi just inches away from Fukuyama's hands. "Gotcha!" Ebi was now securely in Fukuyama's clutches, his hands gripping Ebi's arms firmly. There was no turning back now, Fukuyama's hands not the kind to easily let go once they found themselves wrapped around such tender flesh.

"Fukuyama, please let her go" Miharu, sensing Ebi's discomfort, pleaded politely. Kirie's request was not as courteous.

"Fukuyama, you piece of SHIT! I swear I'm going to BREAK each and EVERY ONE of your FINGERS!" she shouted. Fukuyama only grins at her mockingly triumphant.

"Fukuyama, we had a deal!" Yukinari reminded.

"Oh I didn't forget!" Fukuyama said with a smirk. "I just need to secure my prize!" he said caressing Ebi's hair. "As I do, all of you will be escorted off of school premises! Mhmhmhm! Mwahahahahahaha! Hahahaha! Hihihihihihi! Hahahaha!" Fukuyama laughed savoring his victory as he began tossing Ebi up and catching her in celebration. "I've won, Ebi! I've won Ebi! Oh what joy!" Fukuyama was right to celebrate. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him at that point. Ebi was securely in his claws and anyone who could stop him was either caged or detained by his maids. And no amount of shouting coming from Kirie could stop him this time.

"Let Tomo go! And Ebi too!" Tomoka protested as the maids were leading her, Miharu, and Koyomi away.

"What you're doing is wrong!" Koyomi accused. "Ebi is a part of our family! You can't take her from us!" As the maids prepared to wheel away the cage, Kirie said nothing. She was plotting: the instant she was released, the moment her feet touched the ground, she was gonna charge back to the school as fast as she could, knock down as many maids as she would have to to get Ebi back from Fukuyama and then send the perv's ass straight to hell. Yukinari and Masashi felt similarly but it was difficult not to feel a sense of defeat.

"Ebi? Are you alright?" Fukuyama asked aloud noting the queasy look on Ebi's face which was twisted in a pout and looking slightly pink in the cheeks. "Hey! You dare mock me!? Your new master!? Don't look at me like that!" Fukuyama chastised. "I'm your master now! I deserve utmost respect, admiration, and worship!" Ebi only continues her pouting seemingly annoyed and disgusted by the fact that Fukuyama was even touching her.

"Mnng!" Ebi groaned, the sound as though she were summoning something up from the pit of her stomach.

"I order you to stop that!" Fukuyama demanded losing patience. "Don't think that a temper tantrum is going to work on me Ebi! I assure you, it will not work!"

"Mmnnngggrrrr!"

"Are you listening!? I said stop! I swear, you may be cute but you have a rotten attitude! That Kirie is a terrible influence on you!" Fukuyama criticized down his nose. "Not to worry: I will rid of you of your petulance! You shall be re-educated!" Ebi continued. "Stop it! I said sto-" they were to be Fukuyama's last words that day.

"Ggrrrnnyyaaaaahhhh!" Ebi screamed as a bright white light exploded out of her mouth. This bright light engulfed Fukuyama's entire head and shoulders, collided with the roof of the cage forcing the prisoners to duck, and crashed into the face of the school building overlooking the pool shattering windows and shaking the entire building.

"What the hell is that!?" a maid shouted.

"E-beam!" Tomoka answered loud and ecstatically. The powerful beam attack subsides after greatly weakening the cage roof and leaving the face of the school building visibly cracked, its concrete structure perilously compromised as small chunks of rubble began falling off.

"Master!" the maids shouted after finding Fukuyama painfully charred from the shoulders up. With a kick, Ebi frees herself from the pervert's claws and dives back into the safety of the depths of the water. Fukuyama collapses leaving his body floating unconscious in the pool and his maids immediately rushing to his aid. "Girls! We need to evacuate the school immediately!" a taller of the several maids, noting the damage, quickly ordered.

"But what of the prisoners?" another maid holding Koyomi questioned.

"Forget about them! We'll be in deep trouble if any alumni get seriously hurt!" the tall maid answered. "You three, get master to the infirmary! Everyone else, we need to get the students out!" she commands as she pulled out a handheld transceiver. "Head maid Lilica! Head maid Lilica! Come in!" the maid urgently spoke into the device as she and the rest of the maids disappeared into the school. Now left unattended, Kirie knocks the damaged cage down onto its side and with a powerful kick knocks the top of the cage off. Kirie rushes to the pool and Ebi swims right up to her. Kirie lifts her right up from the water and into a warm embrace.

"Oh Ebi! I was so worried!" Kirie said emotionally pressing Ebi to herself tightly. "I was afraid we might have lost you!"

"Nyah nyah nyah" Ebi, her hair dripping, answered dismissively.

"Cool! Little Sister Ebi saved the day today!" Tomoka cheered as everyone huddled around the little green-haired girl.

"Who would have guessed she was such a great swimmer!" Yukinari acclaimed with surprise.

"And the way she got the big, stupid pervert!" Tomoka said proudly. "Ebi's secret weapon!"

"I forgot she could do that" Kirie said recalling Ebi using it during Miharu's rescue.

"Yep! Big Sister Tomo calls it the e-beam!" Tomoka boasted.

"Or that she could swim! Ebi, when did you learn that?" Kirie asked.

"Nyah nyah" Ebi answered.

"We shouldn't forget that Ebi is no stranger to water, actually" Koyomi responds referring to Ebi's seal form.

"That's a good point" Kirie says as she glances at Fukuyama's unconcious body and then back at Ebi.

"Good for you Ebi! You taught him a lesson!" Kirie praised.

"She saved us too!" Koyomi praised further. "She's our hero!"

"Nyah nyah~!" Ebi meowed scratching the back of her head modestly.

"You weren't too bad yourself there Koyomi" Kirie recognized, "you stood your ground against the perv."

"Th-thank you" Koyomi thanked gratefully and bowing respectfully, her cheeks pink.

"Is he going to be okay?" Masashi, working his way through other concerned admirers of Fukuyama's, asked gazing down at the charred remains of Fukuyama's smoking, sizzling head.

"Stay back you!" one of the three maids tending to Fukuyama warned.

"Back off or we hurt you!" another maid growled stepping forward aggressively.

"Rude! Forgive me for worrying!" Masashi quipped backing off and joining Yukinari and the others.

"You don't need to worry, he'll recover from this" Kirie assured. "No matter what happens, no matter what you do to him, he always comes back."

"Can we go home now?" Koyomi asked feeling worn out mentally.

"Yes, let's" Kirie agreed and with Ebi in arms, she leads the other four away. "I wanna get out of this bothersome maid outfit and I feel a terrible sore throat coming on. I think I might have yelled too much today."

"I have a tea recipe that helps with sore throats" Koyomi offered.

"That would be very nice, thank you" Kirie agreed readily.

"Well, I can't say today was boring" Yukinari directed at Masashi.

"I had fun. There were cute bikini girls running around and Fukuyama has a decent taste in women, I must say" Masashi said after fishing out the magazine from his back pocket and skimming it wearing an expression comparable to Fukuyama's. "..Hey don't look at me like that! You're a guy too! Surely you can forgive a fellow man for admiring the female figure!" Masashi defended, a gleam in his eye.

"No no, didn't mean anything by it. Whatever look I was giving you, I mean..." Yukinari said. "Just wasn't expecting you to have that with you."

"C'mon Miharu! We gotta go!" Tomoka urged the pink-haired Seirenian.

"Coming!" Miharu answered carrying a small cooler full of food she had picked out from the table. With the party gone, all that was left was Fukuyama, three maids tending to him, and several of the alumni huddled around him.

"Is he going to be okay?", "Someone call a doctor! Please!", "I'll nurse him back to health", "Oh poor Fukuyama!", "His face is going to be okay right? Right!?" was among the chatter floating around the flock of girls.

"Stand back! He's breathing! Just give him room!" one of the maids ordered. As Fukuyama was being tended to, from behind a large pile of books a moderate distance away from the pool, Lisa strolls out, book in hand, and heads straight to the gaggle of Fukuyama's admirers.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Lisa raised her voice over the girls. "I seek a word with big brother!" She gets through to find the incapacitated body of her older brother. "Oh my! Big brother, what has happened to you!?" Lisa exclaimed with worry.

"Mistress Lisa, an adolescent girl going by the name of 'Ebi' is responsible for the condition master finds himself in currently" reported a maid kneeling by Fukuyama's side as another, to her own horror, accidentally breaks off Fukuyama's burnt nose.

"Ebi?" Lisa voiced as she spotted the cage knocked down to its side, its roof violently kicked off, and the school building with shattered windows and worrying deep fractures webbing throughout its side. "Oh wow. So that's what all the noise was..." Lisa said surveying the damage to the building. Just then, another piece falls off of the building and crashes to the ground. Thankfully, it lands harmlessly. "Father is not going to like any of this. At all" Lisa whispered to herself. "..I had nothing to do with this!" the witch was quick to claim. "Fault lies solely with big brother!" she said rushing back to gather her books. "So much research wasted. Big brother just can't keep out of trouble" she concluded.

-To Be Continued-

Author commentary: So this is the last chapter that will be episodic. New arc is coming up next but I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me what you thought about this chapter. I enjoyed writing it and tried to add a few humorous elements as well as some slice-of-life in the beginning. So please leave a review and thank you so much for reading! 


	30. Chapter 30

I've taken way too long to upload this chapter. Life keeps me too busy and keeping track of more and more words only becomes more time-consuming. I can only thank you all for your patience.

Episode 54: Underground Fitness Club

It was the late evening hours in Kariyama, a small town about 30 kilometers off the Eastern Pacific coast of Northern Japan. Most family outings were winding down and many businesses were preparing to call it a day in Kariyama's commercial districts but despite this, it was not uncommon to still find some life stirring and business ongoing as closing time approached. In the middle of Kariyama sat a diner and it, like several other establishments, was finishing with the last of its clientele.

"More tea sir?" the waitress at this diner asked Akuma, the sturdily-built man seated at the table before her. At the same table were three others. A tall individual by the name of Tenchi, a heavy-set Aho, and a similarly bulky Shinichi.

"Yes, please. Thank you very much" Akuma accepted and his cup was generously refilled.

"I see most of you have finished your meals. May I relieve the table?" she asked indicating the dishware atop the table.

"Please" Akuma said and the waitress gathered the empty plates save for Aho's who was still at work finishing his order.

"Are you gentlemen finished drinking?" the waitress continued glancing at some of the cups.

"We're still finishing our drinks, thank you" Akuma said on behalf of the rest.

"Understood. And gentlemen, I regret to inform you that we will be closing in 30 minutes" the waitress informed apologetically.

"We'll be done in 20" Akuma was quick to inform.

"I'm happy to hear that. If you gentlemen need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask" the waitress said and with a respectful bow, she walked off. This left Akuma alone with his three henchmen. He looked at Tenchi who seemed deep in thought, at Aho who was finishing up some fried shrimp, and then at Shinichi who was taking a sip from his cup.

"We've been doing well boys" Akuma said before taking a sip of his tea. "..I'm satisfied with how we've been doing so far." Aho continued eating but he was listening intently, no less than Shinichi or Tenchi. "Aho, enjoying your meal?"

"When doesn't he?" Shinichi joked.

"I'm living life" Aho said dipping a fried shrimp into ginger sauce.

"Shinichi? Tenchi? You boys not up for another round?"

"I've had plenty already" Shinichi said.

"No thanks" Tenchi responds as he sips from his cup.

"The restaurant across the street from here" Akuma began not looking in the direction of the aforementioned building, a lucrative restaurant named 'Yutakana Yama'. Though the restaurant Akuma spoke of could easily be seen through the window next to their table, neither Shinichi, Aho, nor Tenchi looked its way. "How much do we have before they close?"

Tenchi does not answer at first, wisely preferring for the waitress walking by them to distance herself enough away from their table. "..Fifteen minutes" Tenchi answered. "Wish we could see inside from here. Their windows are way dark."

"That makes it perfect" Akuma said. "How many phones?" he asked.

"So far, I know there's one by the registers. I'm pretty sure there's one in the office too" Tenchi said. "Does two sound like a good number?"

"Sure. Not enough to give us trouble" Akuma responds.

"Where we huddling them?" Tenchi asked.

"We'll put them in the kitchen" Akuma answers. "Big kitchen."

"How much do you think is in there?" Shinichi asked.

"Money's collected on a weekly basis at the end of the week. Seeing how they've been pretty busy this past couple days, I'd say it's worth our time" Akuma answered.

"There's got to be a lot in there. Food's good but fucker's charge you up the ass for so little" Aho grumbled as he bit off another end of a shrimp.

"They gotta charge big: they pay their employees good. We're cleaning them out too. Finish up Aho. We're going" Akuma commanded.

"Last one" Aho declared dipping the last fried shrimp into the ginger sauce. With Aho finished, the four get up and after leaving the waitress a moderate tip, proceed outside.

Yutakana Yama was a successful business in the heart of Kariyama's commercial district. In business for over 12 years, it has benefited from frequent and loyal clientele all throughout its years. Normal business hours spanned from six in the morning until nine at night. With closing time less than 10 minutes away, the last of the evening's customers were making their way out and to their cars parked in Yutakana Yama's ample parking lot. In the same parking lot sat Akuma and the other three hidden behind heavily tinted windows. The three sat observing the back door of the restaurant and the customers on their way home.

"You think that's the last of them?" Tenchi asked as a couple entered their car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Call 'em" Akuma orders, Tenchi pulls out a throw-away cell phone and dials up the Yutakana Yama.

"Hello, thank you for calling the Yutakana Yama" a female voice answers.

"Hello, you guys still open?" Tenchi asked.

"No sir, I'm afraid not" the voice replied.

"Oh. I've been trying to reach my friends but they're not picking up" Tenchi explained. "They last mentioned they would be eating at your place. I was wondering if my friends might be there still."

"I'm sorry sir, they can't be here. We're closed."

"You sure? Could you check please?" Tenchi asked.

"Sir, our lobby has been vacated."

"Please just check. I've been looking for them for hours" Tenchi almost pleaded.

"Sir, it's store policy that no customer is to be allowed inside after closing. If they were, they are gone now. I'm sorry I can't help you" the woman apologized.

"Not even the bathrooms?"

"Sir, no. They too are vacated" the woman said almost impatiently.

"...Okay, thanks. Bye" Tenchi said giving the others a thumbs up.

"Good bye" the woman says before hanging up.

"They're closed and no one inside but the employees" Tenchi reported.

"Excellent! Two minutes to nine. Let's start getting ready boys" Akuma ordered as he pulled out black kabuki masks out of the glove compartment. "We exit on my signal. I'll get the office. Tenchi, you get the dining area and bathrooms. Aho, the kitchen. Shinichi, get the entrance" he instructed as he and the others put their masks on. With faces concealed, all four watched and waited for the restaurant's back door to open in tense anticipation. With their car purposely parked in a particularly dark and out-of-the-way corner of the parking lot, it was dead silent inside the vehicle. All four knew the quiet would not last, all four knew mere minutes or perhaps even seconds later, things were about to get very frantic and very noisy. Tenchi could feel his breathing speed up, Shinichi and Aho could not tear away their eyes from the door, all could hear the ticking of the tiny gears in Tenchi's wristwatch.

"C'mon, let's do this already" Shinichi moaned slowly as the door would not open and Aho's leg was twitching nervously. After Tenchi had taken a deep breath, Akuma was quick to simply gesture with a raised hand commanding patience out of his henchmen.

Two minutes after nine and still the door had not opened. Shinichi, Aho, and Tenchi started to get used to the thick tension in the air and just as they started to relax a bit, the back door suddenly swung open. Walking out was a single pudgy cook carrying out two very large trash bags.

"Not yet" Akuma said holding back his thugs.

Oblivious to the danger hidden away in a corner of the parking lot, the cook headed for the dumpster enclosure behind the restaurant. As the cook opened the heavy, creaky gates to the enclosure the back door to the restaurant closes, just what Akuma was waiting for.

"On my six" Akuma said as he exited the car. The other three followed.

Having tossed the trash bags, the cook made to exit the enclosure only to be caught by complete surprise by a horrifying sight: four men wearing kabuki masks, black hoodies and black pants stood there suddenly almost as if they had appeared out of thin air. The cook, paralyzed almost beyond human endurance, made neither a move nor a noise as the tallest of these frightening, masked figures approached him.

"Wh-wh-who" the cook whimpered not believing what was happening to him. In his stupor, without warning, out of the dark a fist flies into the cook's stomach knocking the wind out of him and bringing him down to his knees. Feeling a strong arm wrapping around his neck and a heavy hand over his mouth, without a word he is hurried back to the back door of the restaurant. As he is hurried back, he could feel the menacing end of a metallic object to his back.

"Make a sound and you're dead" Akuma's raspy voice whispered. The cook felt helpless. He had neither choice nor chance: the masked man's grip was too strong and he was too scared to resist.

One of the masked men, Tenchi, after finding the door locked knocks on the door and with little delay, a cook opens it expecting to let their fellow coworker back in. The cook indeed finds his coworker outside but to his shock, his coworker was being restrained by a masked Akuma. Just as he was realizing this, Tenchi with both hands yanks the back door wide open. With a mighty kick, Akuma knocks his hostage down taking the cook at the door down to the floor with the hostage.

"Aaah!" the cook who fetched the door let out, he also too in shock to believe what was happening. At full speed, Akuma rushes into what was the stockroom, Tenchi, Aho, and Shinichi following in order. Racing into the connecting hall, Akuma races by the kitchen and to his right, he finds his target: the restaurant office inhabited by the manager, a petite woman in her late 20s. As Akuma had expected, the woman was conducting end-of-day cashier balancing. In addition, the safe had been left wide open and was full with the week's proceeds, organized into neat stacks.

"Aaaah!" the manager screamed.

"Shut it!" Akuma demanded grabbing the woman by the back of her neck, his iron grip almost threatening to strangle her. "You know what this is" Akuma growled shoving the woman in front of the wide open safe. "Fill it up!" Akuma commanded handing the woman a burlap sack and threatening her with his revolver, a 38. As Tenchi raced past the office making his way to the dining area, Aho burst into the kitchen to a collective gasp of the kitchen staff, four men and three women.

"On the fucking floor! Face down!" Aho roared brandishing a 22. His demands were met swiftly, all the cooks in the kitchen diving for the floor.

"Th-this can't be happening! Oh god!" a cook whined.

"Shut your mouth! I don't want to see ANY of your faces!" Aho shouted.

"How's your end Number Two?" Akuma shouted Tenchi's way as he yanked the office phone out of the wall.

"Got three over here!" Tenchi, after securing the phone at the front counter, answers waving three employees into the kitchen before confirming that the front door was locked.

"Face down!" Aho growls at the three employees. "Hands atop your head!"

"Number Three?" Akuma called out and without delay, an armed Shinichi is wrangling the hostage and the cook the four encountered at the door.

"Got them right here" Shinichi said. "Into the kitchen, get on the floor! Face down!" Shinichi parrots Aho aggressively.

"Number Four, keep them face down. Number Two, Number Three, check the restrooms" Akuma orders and the two obey. Since entering the office, Akuma had not once diverted his eyes for too long from the petite manager who by now had nearly filled the sack and the safe was now empty.

"Please.. Please just go" the manager managed to squeak out. "You have what you want."

"Get in the kitchen" Akuma demands. The manager, seeming too frightened to move, simply sits there.

"Please" she repeats weakly. With a sigh, Akuma grabs her by the arm and pulls her up. He hands her to Aho.

"On the floor" Aho instructs and the manager joins the others in the kitchen.

"Clear" Tenchi and Shinichi announce returning from the restrooms.

"Good. Check the fridge and freezer for any employees. After that, take the manager with you and clear out the front registers. I spotted lockers in the stockroom on my way here. Clear those out too." With that, Shinichi and Tenchi maneuver around the cooks on the floor getting to the fridge and freezer connected to the kitchen.

"Everyone, empty your pockets. If any of you want to see your families again, I suggest none of you resist and you all put anything and everything of value on the floor in front of you" Akuma commands and the restaurant employees follow suit. "I want to see the insides of your pockets. Remove your jewelry, watches, surrender your wallets and electronics." Wallets, cell phones, expensive watches, gold necklaces and other jewelry, and money clips came out which Aho promptly collected into a separate burlap sack. As Aho passed by the employees, they could hear his heavy breathing: this experience was undoubtedly a thrill to the corpulent thug.

"Clear" Tenchi and Shinichi said returning from the walk-in fridge and freezer.

"Pick the manager up and take her with you. She's right there" Akuma said pointing at the woman in the distinct uniform.

"We pick her up?" Shinichi asked.

"You'll have to. She doesn't seem to like us" Akuma commented. Shinichi and Tenchi lift the manager up by her arms and all three proceed out and to the registers.

And then, for Akuma, came the best part. Walking slowly towards the face-down kitchen staff, Akuma began to pace back and forth among the cooks, clerks, waiters, and waitresses. None of the restaurant employees, their heads face down, could tell what was happening as the sound of Akuma's heavy boots fell against the floor right by their heads. It was terrifying to be in a prone state as a masked gunman walked by. Was he planning on killing them all or just one of them to set an example? They were all potential witnesses after all. Then Akuma stopped walking. Had he chosen his victim? None dared to even peek, all frozen stiff with fear. The most frightened was the cook by whom Akuma had halted his pacing. The cook could just feel Akuma's presence looming above but he had no way of knowing what Akuma was doing. Were these the very last seconds of the cook's life? Was this how he would die? Should he take his chances and resist or accept his fate? A deathly silence permeated the kitchen and before the cook could act, a loud click rings out above his head causing several of the staff to flinch. As the cook questioned if he was still alive, Akuma began to pace again.

"We know who you all are" Akuma said, his heavy footfalls accompanying his voice. "We have your identification" he pointed out. "Speak too freely to police and we assure you, we will be back" he threatened very calmly.

"Number One, we've cleared the registers and lockers" Tenchi declared returning with Shinichi, the restaurant manager firmly in their grip. "Registers are empty now and we've got some handbags and pocketbooks from the lockers too."

"Good" Akuma said pleased. "Your name: it's Kanako, correct?" Akuma asked the manager as he loaded bullets into his revolver. Kanako could only nod weakly. Akuma then, almost without warning, raises and points his revolver at the manager. Kanako, in utter shock, goes pale realizing she was staring at the end of the barrel of a gun. "You remind me of someone, Kanako" Akuma told the poor woman.

"N-no" the manager murmured fearing for her life. "Y-you have what you want. P-please just leave us in peace."

"Someone I knew for a time" Akuma continued ignoring the woman's pleas. "Those memories are not all pleasant, I'm afraid."

"No! NO!" Kanako shouted, Tenchi and Shinichi maintaining a firm grip on her. "Please!"

"We can't have people talking to police now can we? We need to make sure they keep quiet and we don't want to kill everyone here. I'm afraid you'll have to serve as an example for your coworkers" Akuma concluded, his finger steady on the trigger.

"P-please, please" Kanako begged. "I have children at home, please!" she revealed.

"Look on the bright side: you'll be sparing 'their' lives" Akuma said indicating the rest of the restaurant staff on the floor. "Your fellow coworkers will never forget your noble sacrifice, Kanako."

"P-please don't!" Kanako continued but to no avail. As she struggled against Shinichi and Tenchi, in crippling terror she bears witness to the hammer slowly pulling back, the 8-chamber cylinder rotating. "No no no!" she cried before finally a loud explosion bursting out of the barrel. A blood-curdling scream follows.

"AAaaaahhh!" the manager screamed drowning out a few terrified wails from the restaurant staff. As Akuma's gun smoked from the shot, soft sobs could be heard from one of the waitresses down on the kitchen floor.

Kanako, certain she had been shot, found herself still standing. The whole of her body felt numb but looking herself over she found no wound. Somehow, she had not been shot. Feeling weak at the knees, she collapses to the floor overwhelmed and in tears.

"Boys, we're good on time. Check the office for footage" Akuma commands and Tenchi and Shinichi proceed back to the office releasing the manager. He then turns to the manager. "Kanako, all the footage is stored in the office right?" The manager nods. "Good to hear. Kanako, be grateful" he said as he approached the manager who had her head buried in her hands. "I could have eliminated one potential source of information and scared many more but I am a man of mercy" Akuma said as Shinichi and Tenchi were tearing apart the surveillance equipment in the office. "Don't make me regret my decision tonight Kanako" he said. "How many cameras are there in here?"

"F-five" the manager answered weakly.

"Where can we find the footage?"

"I-it's in a cabinet" Kanako reveals.

"You find the footage boys?" Akuma asked aloud.

"Got the computer" came the answer from the direction of the office.

"Good" Akuma said turning back to Kanako. "We'll be taking your IDs, we know who you all are. We'd really hate it if we were to find footage of us coming in here on the news or anywhere else. That computer is where all the footage is saved right Kanako?"

"C-correct" the manager answers.

"Good. Kanako, I'm warning you: if there's footage stored elsewhere, you may find that, if not us, some terrible people will be seeing you AND your children soon enough" he threatened fixing a strand of the manager's hair with the end of his revolver. He then signals Aho that it was just about time to go.

"We got the footage" Shinichi reported returning with Tenchi, both carrying a large PC tower. Akuma signals him and Tenchi to exit through the back.

"Join the others, face down, hands on the back of your head. Don't make a sound and don't move, understand?" Akuma whispers. Kanako nods weakly and indeed joins the rest of the restaurant staff, Akuma supervising. Finally, he joins the other three outside knowing it would take some time before one of the employees would muster up the courage to stand and attempt to get help. By the time the manager had found the courage to see if the masked men had left, Akuma and the other three had long gone.

-TRANSITION-

"Who would have thought they had this much in there?" Aho wondered in astonishment. "And it was ripe for the taking too!"

In a motel room far away from the scene of the crime, atop a coffee table the take sat spread about. Large denominations sat stacked atop other large denominations. Beside that sat ID cards detailing the names of the restaurant staff as well as credit and debit cards. Jewelry was also gathered by it; watches, necklaces, rings and earrings, and bracelets. Several cell phones and other expensive gadgets, some with batteries pulled out and others shut off had also been laid out.

"Seven minutes is all it took boys" Akuma said.

"Holy shit" Tenchi said finishing the count of another bundle of paper yen. "1,930,000" he said slapping down another bundle consisting of the largest denominations, the 10,000 yen banknote featuring Fukuzawa Yukichi. "What idiots, holding this sort of money" he said astonished. "And that's just that one bundle."

"This feels amazing!" Aho said emptying a sack filled with the money in the registers. Reaching across the coffee table, he grabs and gives a bundle a deep sniff. "Fuck I love this!" he exclaimed. "Smells so good! Feels even better!" he said flipping through the bills.

"Be nice to own a place like that one day huh?" Tenchi remarked.

"Maybe one day" Akuma said resting his head on the headrest of the motel sofa. "Seems boring though. I like the rush too much."

"But I mean like when we're older and can't get around like we used to" Tenchi elaborated further as Aho was making neat stacks of coin currency.

"Maybe then" Akuma agreed.

"So how much you guys think we can fetch for these?" Tenchi asked pointing at the phones.

"If they're the new models, my fence will pay top yen for them. The newer the model, the nicer the price overseas" Akuma said.

"When the hell's Shinichi getting here? I'm starving" Aho complained. Just then, there's a knock at the door. "Speak of the devil, that must be him" Aho said proceeding to the door. "Took you long enough asshole" he remarked as he returned moments later with Shinichi carrying in large paper bags and drinks from a nearby burger place.

"Hungry fellas?" Shinichi asked finding room for the bags atop the coffee table.

"Fuck yeah. You took your sweet time!" Aho grumbled. "I've been in the mood for some fatass burgers for hours" he said hungrily.

"Don't bitch. Not many places are open at this time" Shinichi countered as he began handing out the food. "Took a long-ass time to make your order too: two triple deckers and extra large fries with a shake" Shinichi said handing over Aho's order.

"About damn time" Aho said taking the food. Shinichi then pulled out Tenchi's order.

"Here you go Tenchi. Here's yours" Shinichi said handing out Tenchi's share.

"Alright, looks good" Tenchi said accepting a burger, fries, and a soft drink.

"Akuma, got yours right here" Shinichi said holding out Akuma's portion of the order.

"Put it back in the bag" Akuma answered not taking his portion. "I'm taking it to go" he said standing up.

"Why? What's up?" Shinichi asked as he bagged Akuma's order.

"I'm heading out boys" Akuma revealed. "Got the next job for us in mind."

"Oh yeah?" Tenchi asked after sipping from his drink. "What sort of job?"

"A big one" Akuma said.

"Big? How big we talking here?" Shinichi asked.

"Very big. To give you boys an idea, you guys can divvy up my share of tonight's take among yourselves. The job I have in mind will get us fifty times that, if not more."

"You serious!?" Aho asked impressed.

"I'm serious" Akuma reiterated picking up his bagged order.

"Fifty times? What are you saying?" Tenchi asked. "What kind of place..." A long silence ensues during which Aho and Shinichi look at each other. Tenchi then finally dares a guess. "A bank?"

"A bank" Akuma confirms to the great shock of the three.

"H-holy shit, really!?" Shinichi gasped in disbelief, Aho and Tenchi affected similarly.

"Really" Akuma says as he makes for the exit. "You boys keep a low profile and stay out of trouble. This upcoming job's gonna be big. Bigger than you think."

"S-so where you going? When's this going down?" Tenchi asked.

"That I don't exactly know yet. I need to meet some people before I can get everything down on paper" Akuma said.

"You gonna call us right? For the job?" Tenchi asked right before Akuma could exit.

"Of course" Akuma again confirms. "We'll meet again boys" he says before finally exiting the room.

"A fucking bank!" Aho breathed anxiously.

"A fucking bank" Shinichi parroted. In shock, it took several moments before all three, in a stunned silence, could resume their eating.

-TRANSITION-

Kariyama was a town with a population of approximately 20,000 residents. This modest population had a high standard of living given its highly educated inhabitants and low crime rate. Indeed, Kariyama was regarded as a very comfortable and quiet place to live in by those within and without. But it was not Kariyama that was of interest to Akuma but rather the much larger neighboring city of Aomori. With a population of over 290,000, it was not as comfortable as the neighboring Kariyama nor as quiet. Where humble, cozy houses would stand in Kariyama, there stood larger, imposing apartment complexes for the lower income portions of society in Aomori. Where more luxurious and expensive restaurants sat in Kariyama there stood fast food joints and bars in Aomori. To further contrast the two cities, Aomori had a more active night life as evidenced by the brighter lights, louder noises, and heavier traffic of Aomori's commercial district. Even in the darkness that blanketed parts of Aomori at nighttime Akuma could decipher graffiti etched on the walls and detect shady figures loitering about. After about a twenty minute drive down these shady streets, he finally found what he was looking for. Outside of a bar, its exterior feebly illuminated almost entirely by a small 'open' sign, stood two masculine figures puffing on cigarettes. They stood silhouetted against the open sign and clouded by the smoke emanating off of the faint glows of their cigarettes. Despite this, Akuma could see the tell-tale sleeves of tattoos on their arms. There was little doubt they were Yakuza.

On foot, Akuma approaches. "Evening gentlemen" he greeted.

"Who are you?" the taller of the two figures responded. To Akuma's surprise, the man's voice sounded young but also inebriated.

"Someone looking for a drink" Akuma answers. "Having yourselves a smoke?" The taller one blows out a large plume of smoke.

"What's it look like?" the tall one asked. Akuma simply chuckled at this.

"Where you from?" Akuma then inquired.

"Who wants to know?" the other sporting the golden necklace quickly spoke up in a slight Korean accent and similarly inebriated. Akuma could not help but feel annoyed by the obstinance of the two.

"I do, boys" Akuma began calmly, "so which is it?" he asked in a more commanding tone. "Sumiyoshi? Yamaguchi? Or you boys pretending to be Yakuza? It'd be a disappointment if you boys weren't the real deal. I came all this way-"

"Pretending!?" the taller one suddenly spat offended. "Kim, you believe this fucking guy? Comes here asking questions and shit. And then insults us to our faces!"

"You best fuck off if you value your life!" Kim threatened.

"I'm not going anywhere boys, I just wish to speak to the shot caller here. Is he in?" Akuma asked.

"Nah, you're not seeing anyone! How about we rip your head open instead, huh!?" the taller growled stepping forward, Kim by his side. "We'll see who's pretending then!"

"Don't you touch me boys" Akuma stated calmly.

"We'll beat your ass!" Kim shouted stepping forward suddenly and taking a hard swing as the taller joins in. Catching the swing, Akuma meets the charge of the taller with his boot forcing the charging hoodlum to his knees.

"Gack! Y-you shit!" the taller coughed.

"Yoshida!" Kim exclaimed as he saw his partner go down.

"You boys are way in over your heads, I assure you" Akuma said punching Kim in the face and with monstrous strength tosses him into the bar.

"Argh!" Kim grunted as he crashed through the bar door. Akuma then lifted the taller Yoshida by his jacket and after headlocking him drags him along as he finally enters the bar.

"Kim, what's going on!?" someone inside the bar blurted out. Entering the bar, Akuma finds a dimly-lit bar populated by shirtless men tattooed heavily from their wrists up to the base of their necks down to their waists, typical of Yakuza. Among them some had been playing billiards as others were simply enjoying their drinks. Now their collective gazes turned toward the commotion walking in.

"My apologies for the interruption gentlemen" Akuma declared politely. "I'm looking for whoever this belongs to" he said indicating Yoshida who was squirming and struggling against Akuma's iron-like grip.

"You son of a bitch!" Kim shouted grabbing a pool stick. Before he could swing, Akuma with a mighty kick knocks Yoshida away and braces for the advancing Kim.

"Kim" a stern voice, in a telling instant, halts Kim in his tracks pool stick and all. "Who is this man?" Turning to the direction of the voice, Akuma finds a rugged man about his age covered in intricate tattoos, among them the daimon of the Yamaguchi-Kai in the middle of his neck. This man was seated at the end of a long table in the corner of the room alongside other fellow Yakuza.

"Tsunoda-Sama, he is no one you should concern yourself with" Kim was quick to explain. "Yoshida and I will escort him out." Given their interaction, Akuma could tell Tsunoda was the one in charge.

"Tsunoda-San" Akuma directed at Tsunoda, "I have need of your services. I do hope this is not an inconvenient time."

"You have no right to speak to him like that!" Yoshida spat getting up and reaching for a glass bottle, Kim bracing himself for another go.

"Yoshida, Kim, stand down" Tsunoda commanded.

"But Tsunoda-Sama" Yoshida objected, "he disrepect-"

"Yoshida, Kim, sit yourselves" Tsunoda commanded firmly.

"U-understood Tsunoda-Sama" Yoshida said and together with Kim found seats all the while eyeing Akuma vengefully.

"Name?" Tsunoda then began.

"Akuma" Akuma responds.

"Akuma, please come and have a seat" Tsunoda said indicating an empty chair by his side. As Akuma approached, he could feel eyes examining his respectable figure. "Akuma" Tsunoda spoke as Akuma approached, the bar slowly returned to normalcy and the card game some had been playing at the table resumed, "I've heard that name before."

"I've been around" Akuma said.

"That would explain it. So you say you are in need of my services?" Tsunoda recalled with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Yes. I understand you of the Yamaguchi-Kai have connections across the country and overseas" Akuma explained over the sound of soft chatter, glasses clinking, and billiard balls striking each other. "I understand your time is precious to you and I have shown up unannounced so I shall make this brief: I have some friends in Japan and the mainland who I'd like for you through the Yamaguchi-Kai network to get to me."

"Some friends?" Tsunoda voiced. "What sort of friends?"

"Good friends who let's just say I've worked with in the past" Akuma said evasively.

"Why don't you just call them up?" Tsunoda suggested after taking a sip of saké sitting before him.

"It's not that simple" Akuma explained. "We don't maintain that close of ties."

"Some friends" Tsunoda muttered. "..And why should I have my men look for these friends for you?" Tsunoda questioned bluntly. "Of what interest is this to me? To my men?" Akuma simply stared back for a brief moment as though thinking over a response. Rather than a verbal response, Akuma chose a physical one: reaching into his jacket, he pulls out a small but valuable bundle of yen and places it between himself and Tsunoda.

"All I need is for you to get me in touch with the right people. I may also need some muscle from your younger ranks too. Some of my former associates may be harder to persuade than others I'm afraid" Akuma elaborated as Tsunoda lifted the offering and began to finger through the bills.

"This is quite a generous offering Akuma" Tsunoda said in surprise. "But is this all you've brought with you? I don't know if this is enough to cover all assistance you seek from me" Tsunoda said. "I can't help but question your wisdom in approaching me all on your own. I can't help but wonder just how much you have on you?" Tsunoda asked almost menacingly.

"I can promise you more for yourself and your men after our affairs are all taken care of" Akuma assured.

"What would you do if I had no interest in your offer and I were to have my boys just clean you out and take you out back?" Tsunoda asked wearing a dark expression as he pocketed Akuma's offering.

"I would apologize for wasting your time Tsunoda-San" Akuma said politely. "I will then seek out wiser business partners who have a greater interest in my making them wealthier. Of course, right after I've gotten my money back" Akuma said adopting a similarly dark expression. Just then, Tsunoda notices Akuma holding a gun in one of his hands. "One way or another."

"You wouldn't dare" Tsunoda whispered. "Try anything and you won't make it out of here alive" Tsunoda threatened.

"You leave me no choice Tsunoda-San. You've pocketed all the money I came in with" Akuma said this time pulling out what looked like a metallic sphere and holding it down against the table. "There's only so much one man can carry around with him." The bar after finally noticing the danger was stunned. Was that a grenade? If so, was it live? Tsunoda was so close to the danger and this Akuma man seemed fearless, keeping his cool in a room full of Yakuza. Several wanted to jump in to rescue their leader but they feared Akuma could easily pull the pin on the explosive. Also, they questioned what else Akuma might have concealed in his person. "Do you wish to make money or should I take back 'my' money and go look elsewhere?" Akuma asked. The room was dead silent, Akuma and Tsunoda staring each other down. It felt as though the bar would implode if anyone were to make a sudden move.

"Fuck", "holy shit", "I can't believe this", "this fucker's dead" were among the only things some Yakuza could mutter under their breath. Aside from that, all anyone could do was wait as the stare down continued.

"Akuma" Tsunoda finally said with a smirk, "you gutsy son of a bitch. You drive a hard bargain" Tsunoda said, the smirk turning into a genuine smile. "The stories of you were true! You are one ballsy motherfucker!" he complimented.

"So? Do we have a deal?" Akuma asked, his grip on his gun and explosive firm.

"You make a very persuasive case, ahahahaha!" Tsunoda laughed. "..Of course! Of course we have a deal!"

"It makes me very happy to hear that" Akuma said. "I'm glad we could settle our differences peacefully" he added. As the tension subsided between himself and Tsunoda, the bar uneasily returned to normalcy once again. "Let me put this away" Akuma said tucking the grenade and firearm back into his person.

"Gentlemen, please return to your drinks. Akuma and I are just negotiating business" Tsunoda announced with raised arms to his men thus further easing the tension. "Was that a real grenade by the way?"

"Absolutely" Akuma confirms.

"Chinese?" Tsunoda asked.

"Russian."

"Russian!? That must have been hard to come by" Tsunoda said. "You never think you'll see a Chinese grenade within Japanese borders, much less a Russian one. How do they blow?"

"Better than Chinese knockoffs. I can show you later if you'd like" Akuma offered.

"Later, later" Tsunoda said. "Let's relax for now.. Let me just..." Tsunoda said pulling Akuma's offering back out and counting it.

"So you say you've heard stories? What have you heard?" Akuma then asked as Tsunoda flipped through the bills.

"Many things, believe me. Word gets around" Tsunoda explained. "I've heard how you're one brave bastard. How you're a man one should never pass the opportunity to work with. How it's more about the thrill than the take for you."

"The streets are wise" an impressed Akuma said feeling his ego stroked.

"How you absolutely hate it when you get robbed. I've learned that firsthand here" Tsunoda said putting the bundle back down on the table.

"Who does?" Akuma asked. "You'd be crazy to let it happen to you."

"Exactly! You let it happen once, more and more will come after. More and more until they all start stepping all over you!" Tsunoda said with Akuma nodding in agreement. "Alright then" Tsunoda said clapping his hands together, "shall we get down to business?"

"Let's" Akuma responded.

-TRANSITION-

Miss Nina was used to seeing many types of people come to her Underground Fitness Club: tall ones and short ones, fat ones and thin ones. She's seen shy ones and outgoing ones, some that were there for cardio, others for body building. Among her most favorite visitors however were two who today found themselves sitting beside her at the front counter of the club entrance room. The first was a little girl by the name of 'Ebi' who was focusing very hard on assembling a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle set she had brought with her. The second was an older yet still very young girl by the name of 'Tomoka' who was hard at work solving a Sudoku puzzle.

"Oh man, this one's tough" Tomoka said focusing hard on solving the Sudoku before her. "Big Sister Tomo might need to back up on this one" she said fastening her pencil up on her ear and by the snow flake hair pins Kirie had given her, hair pins Nina did not fail to compliment earlier that day. "How's it coming along Little Sister Ebi?" Ebi does not respond, a look of determination on her face as she goes back and forth between the loose puzzle pieces and the reference image on the cover of the puzzle packaging.

"Don't talk to her right now Tomoka" Nina advises. "I think she's very close to a breakthrough." Just then, lifting a puzzle piece, Ebi secures it in the appropriate place and gets that much closer to finishing the image of the Mosi-oa-Tunya waterfall.

"Alright Ebi! Good job!" Nina praised.

"Nyah nyah nyah" Ebi responds.

"Little Sister Ebi says it was nothing" Tomoka interpreted.

"You can tell?" Nina asked surprised.

"Yup! As a Big Sister, Tomo understands" Tomoka said proudly.

"Oh!" Nina let out impressed. "And was it you who got her into jigsaw puzzles too?"

"Yeah! Little Sister Ebi loves puzzles just like her Big Sister Tomo and Tomo's been teaching her about jigsaw puzzles and even slide puzzles!"

"Slide puzzles? Can she actually do those?"

"Sure! If they're small enough that is" Tomoka clarified. Nina couldn't help but beam at the two.

"Well I think it's wonderful that you're teaching here these things. It's very good to stimulate her young mind" Nina opinionated as she patted Ebi's hair. "I'm proud of you Tomoka!"

"I-it was nothing really" Tomoka said somewhat flattered. "I-it's a big sister's responsibility after all! Heeheeheehee!"

"Is that so?" Nina asked amused. Just then the 'Poyon' theme song plays out of Tomoka's person somewhere.

"Oh! That might be Koyo. Excuse Tomo for a sec" Tomoka said as she retrieved her phone. "Wh-what? It's a Poyon ringtone. Nothing wrong with that. It reminds Tomo of her childhood!" Tomoka defended before answering her phone.

"It reminds you of your childhood?" Nina wondered. "Tomoka, you 'are' a child" she was tempted to point out but held back knowing Big Sister Tomoka would probably not appreciate that. Instead, she could only chuckle quietly to herself.

Meanwhile, in the training room, Yukinari was hard at work doing ab crunches hanging upside-down from a horizontal bar. Shirtless, his hair and body were soaked with sweat as he fought gravity itself each and every time he bent skyward with every crunch.

"72" Yukinari said feeling intense burning in his stomach.

"Yukinari, you've done enough already. You can come down now" Kirie, in a loose white shirt and jogging shorts, standing by Yukinari's side urged worriedly.

"J-just three more" Yukinari said before crunching his 73rd.

"You said you'd only do sixty Yukinari" Kirie objected. "You're going to hurt yourself at this rate."

"Just... a bit... more..." Yukinari said on his 74th crunch. Finishing it, he feels as though he could go no longer. "It burns! Kirie, it burns! I don't think I can do any more!"

"You can't be serious" Kirie said in disbelief.

"It hurts too much" Yukinari said.

"Can't believe I'm saying this" Kirie said crossing her arms. "Just get this last one already. You've pushed yourself this far, one more can't make that much of a difference. Get it done and out of your system."

"Seventy... five..!" And with that, Yukinari had not only let the tension of his body go but without warning had fallen off of the horizontal bar.

"Aah! Yukinari, are you okay?" Kirie asked quickly kneeling by Yukinari's side.

"I, I'm fine Kirie" Yukinari said working hard to regain his breath. "I just need... a little rest" he said sluggishly getting up on all fours and crawling towards Kirie.

"Here" Kirie said holding out a clean towel. Accepting it, Yukinari drapes the towel over his head right before, to Kirie's surprise, resting his head atop Kirie's lap. "H-hey! At least dry your head!" Kirie protested. "Now my thighs are all sweaty."

"I'm sorry Kirie. I'm just so spent" Yukinari said. Grabbing the towel, Kirie begins to wipe down Yukinari's forehead, face, body, and arms.

"Ow! Kirie, be careful there. It's sore right now" Yukinari said referring to his abdomen.

"Sorry" Kirie said as she wiped down Yukinari's arms. "You know you're going to wake up sore tomorrow morning, right?"

"All I need is.. a nice, cold shower... That always helps" Yukinari said.

"Cold shower huh? Those are always nice after a heavy workout" Kirie agreed. With her index, she begins to move aside the wet strands of hair covering Yukinari's eyes.

"Kirie, can I shower at your house again? Your shower's nicer."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to" Kirie said with regret. "Dad's back from his business trip so I won't even be able to sleep over" she whispered.

"Really?" Yukinari asked disappointed. "Damn."

"Don't worry, we'll still get to spend quality time together" Kirie assured caressing Yukinari's shoulder. "We'll just have to get crafty about it."

"Sure" Yukinari agreed.

"By the way Yukinari, can you get up now? We're not the only ones who'd like to use the equipment you know" Kirie reminded. "We're in the way here."

"But I'm still in pain" Yukinari complained as he turned in his spot. "Just a little longer Kirie" he said stroking Kirie's thighs.

"Oh Yukinari..." the brunette sighed.

"...Your legs are so soft Kirie" Yukinari complimented burying his face into the brunette's thighs.

"I'm glad you think that Yukinari" Kirie replied with slight red on her cheeks before reaching for a water bottle. "Here, you should keep your liquids u- Yu-Yukinari!" Kirie gasps reacting to Yukinari reaching around with both hands and groping her buttocks. "A-alright wise guy! Now I know you're not in 'that' much pain!" Kirie chastised getting on her feet and pulling Yukinari up with her.

"Kirie~" Yukinari moaned.

"Don't give me that. Besides, we were supposed to go to the creek today" Kirie reminded.

"We were?" Yukinari thought for a moment. "...Oh, that's right. Sorry, just help me walk for a little bit."

"Sure. Let's go" Kirie said helping Yukinari walk off and toward the entrance room.

"Hey there you two" Nina greeted upon their entrance.

"Hey Big Sister Kirie!" Tomoka greeted similarly.

"Hello Tomoka" Kirie greeted back.

"Done for the day?" Nina asked.

"Yeah, pretty much" Kirie answered.

"He overdo it today?" Nina asked looking over a tired Yukinari.

"No" Yukinari was quick to claim. "Just tried to beat my personal best."

"You did but continued beyond it" Kirie criticized. "You can hurt yourself that way Yukinari. Here" Kirie said handing over the top of Yukinari's club outfit.

"Yukinari, you and Kirie go to Mizuno High right?" Nina asked.

"Yeah" Yukinari confirms putting the top of his uniform back on.

"So that's why you two aren't at school" Nina said holding up a copy of that morning's newspaper. "Your school's been closed. Structural concerns right?"

"Yep" Kirie confirms. "It's all thanks to Kazuharu."

"Kazuharu? You mean the blonde pervert right?"

"That's right. We're without a school now 'til they can iron out all the wrinkles left by the shoddy construction" Kirie explained.

"Such a shame. And right after an earthquake hit Mizuno High too" Nina recalled. "At least no one was hurt. That's the important part."

"An earthquake?" Kirie asked. "Oh no, that wasn't an earthquake. That was actually from a fight that broke out."

"A fight!? A fight did that!?" Nina gasped.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a long story" Yukinari then said.

"Oh, well you guys gotta fill me in later. That sounds crazy" Nina said.

"Sure" Yukinari said.

"Tomoka, Ebi, ready to go?" Kirie asked.

"Just putting things away" Tomoka said helping Ebi to put her puzzle away being very careful with the pieces already assembled.

"Where you guys headed?" Nina asked.

"First we're going to go check up on Koyomi who took Hebi to the vet" Kirie revealed.

"And then we're going to the super secret creek!" Tomoka was quick to add. "Where there's a bunch of clear water, a small waterfall you can stand under, and we'll get to see Little Sister Ebi swim too!"

"She swims!?" Nina asked surprised.

"Like a pro!" Tomoka squeaked with pride.

"It surprised all of us actually" Kirie added. "The instant she got in a body of water, she was speeding all over the place. It was incredible!"

"Now that's something I 'have' to see" Nina said helping Ebi down from her seat.

"You could come with us" Tomoka said excitedly. "It'll be so much fun!"

"I'd love to but I gotta watch over the club today" Nina said disappointed.

"Oh..." Tomoka let out similarly disheartened.

"Next time" Nina said disliking seeing Tomoka in such a state.

"Okay, next time!" Tomoka said. "Do you pinky swear?" she asked holding her pinky out.

"Sure, I pinky swear" Nina said entwining her little finger with Tomoka's. With that, Tomoka and Ebi join Yukinari and Kirie's side.

"Bye Miss Nina" Yukinari said as he and the rest waved goodbye.

"Bye guys, have fun" Nina said waving back.

"Sure will!" Tomoka said. "..So Big Sister Kirie, Koyo called moments ago and-" Tomoka had begun before she and the other three had finally exited the club. Watching them go was truly disappointing considering Nina would have liked the day off but it was no big deal. Nina liked her line of work: she was free to read as much as she liked while at the front counter, a hobby she really enjoyed. When she wasn't bound to the front counter, she liked assisting some of the members with their workout routines as well as give them advice and guidance for becoming fitter individuals.

"Done for the day Yamichi?" Nina had asked a member that had just come in from the training room. A tall yet heavy individual, Yamichi had joined the club because of his weight problem.

"Y-yeah" Yamichi said breathing heavily and dabbing at his sweaty face with a towel. "I, I'm sorry, I, I'm so tired."

"That's good. It means you've worked hard" Nina said. "Speaking of which, you're looking slimmer."

"Y-you really mean it?" Yamichi asked.

"Of course. Keep up the good work Yamichi!" Nina encouraged.

"Thanks Miss Nina" Yamichi thanked bowing.

"You're not taking the bus are you?"

"No. I'll be walking home" Yamichi said.

"Good" Nina remarked and after a brief goodbye Yamichi left almost as quickly as he had entered. It was not an uncommon sight watching people enter and leave the club day after day. On the contrary, it was business as usual. As usual as the surveying she would conduct at least once a day to make sure none of the fitness equipment had fallen into disrepair or opening and closing procedures during morning and evening hours respectively. Speaking of which, looking up from her newspaper, she did not fail to notice closing time quickly approaching.

"Bye Miss Nina" the last of the club members waved as they made their way out.

"Take care guys. See you later" Nina said waving back. Seeing the last of the remaining club members out, Miss Nina locks up the front door and heads straight home in her car. On her drive home the chilly night air cooled the inside of her car, a sensation she never thought she would ever get sick of.

The next morning, after waking up, showering and brushing her teeth, and a couple warm ups and stretches after breakfast, Nina exited her apartment ready for the day. Navigating the same roads and bridges she had taken the previous evening, she took in the crisp morning air still cool from last night's chilly temperatures. So far there was nothing to indicate today would be any different than any other day but as her fitness club came into view, she could not help but notice immediately that something was definitely wrong.

Initially, Miss Nina could not believe what she was seeing. Out of her car and on foot, she was up closer but she was still incredulous that anyone could be capable of such an act of vandalism. It almost looked violent the manner in which the graffiti had been etched onto the face of her club. Not only the stucco but the glass of the club had been hit with spray paint as well. It was not just the face of the building that was defaced: large strokes of paint snaked around the corners of the club defiling what were once the neat and clean, solidly-colored exterior walls of Nina's fitness club. As infuriating as it was, she could not help but notice it was only her building that had been hit. No other buildings nearby seemed to have been touched. "Delinquent bastards" Nina growled looking at her watch: only fifteen minutes before opening time, not even close to enough time to get all the markings removed before opening. Looking at the tagging a second time, she realizes the graffiti actually consisted of Japanese characters and kanji but they were so heavily stylized and consisted of slang terms it was all almost unreadable.

Suddenly, to Nina's complete surprise, the sound of a phone ringing echoes out of the club's mail box. "What in the hell?" she wondered. Cautiously, by the second ring she retrieves a disposable cell phone out of the mail box and by the third, she answers it.

"Hello, who's this?" Miss Nina was quick to demand suspicious that whoever was on the other line was surely responsible for violating her club. Also, she began looking around believing that someone might be watching her.

"How long has it been?" a familiar voice asked making Nina's heart sink. "Feels like forever."

"A-Akuma?" Nina voiced almost in disbelief.

"That's right. Surprised by my call? You did receive my message right? That I'd be in touch" Akuma said referring to when he had encountered Yukinari and Kirie.

"Akuma, we have nothing to speak about" Nina said firmly.

"That's not up to you to decide" Akuma countered. "Both you and I know we have unfinished business." Nina, struggling to find words, says nothing. "But I am a patient man. I'm perfectly willing to forgive and forget everything just so long as you listen carefully."

"...Make it quick. The less of your voice I hear, the better" Nina said irritably after a brief silence.

"You work for me one last time, indirectly of course. I have no des-"

"No" Nina interrupted. "You must think I'm a fool."

"You'd be a fool to reject my offer. There's a lot of money on the table here" Akuma said. "Just work under me one last time and you'll never hear from me again. You have my word."

"Your word is worthless! The answer is no!" Nina said adamantly before almost hanging up out of disgust.

"...That's a shame. I'm legitimately disappointed. And I was hoping I could help protect my club from common street vandals but-"

"You don't worry about me or the club!" Nina growled agitated by Akuma's last line. "Don't call me again" Nina said before severing the connection. With the call over, Nina stood there for a moment grimacing harshly at the disposable phone, a nagging worry in the back of her mind. She didn't stand there for long: it was very nearly opening time and her club was still vandalized. Running inside, she was quick to call for Mizuno graffiti removal services.

-TRANSITION-

"Professor Fujisaki is the worst when it comes to tests" Masashi whined. "The ridiculous amount of memorization he expects from you!" Walking through the shopping districts of Mizuno, Masashi was accompanied by Kirie and Yukinari as he made his way to the club.

"Say no more Masashi" Kirie said, "I had him for Trigonometry. Memorization was such a pain but Yukinari helped me out. He's pretty good at math."

"I'm not that good Kirie" Yukinari admitted modestly.

"Nonsense! You'd get 90s on the tests every time" Kirie pointed out.

"I guess that's true" Yukinari said.

"Jeez Yukinari! Nothing wrong with being a little proud of yourself. You worked hard for those grades" Kirie said pulling Yukinari close.

"90s huh? Yukinari, you think you could help me out with my calculus?" Masashi asked.

"You could join our study sessions if you'd like" Yukinari offered. "Right Kirie?"

"Sure" Kirie agreed.

"I can? Thanks guys! That's a relief" Masashi said with a sigh. "Some of the text book stuff is just way over my head."

As the three neared the club, it became immediately obvious to them that something terrible had befallen the building since their last visit.

"What the hell!?" Kirie gasped as she quickly made for a closer look, the other two keeping up. "Wh-who did this?"

"This is terrible" Yukinari remarked surveying the extent of the graffiti. "Not just the walls but the windows too."

"I can't believe this" Masashi said. Noticing that Miss Nina was inside, Yukinari makes his way in, Kirie and Masashi following behind.

"Miss Nina! The club!" Yukinari said with alarm.

"I know. Believe me, I know. But not to worry: I've called graffiti removal and the club'll be just like it was before in no time" Nina assured. "..Or rather, under 24 hours" she added with an annoyed tone.

"Who could have done such a thing?" Kirie wondered aloud.

"Some punks, I'm sure" Nina answered. "Apparently this was their idea of a good time. Gotta tag up the cleanest building with the most open walls."

"But why only this one?" Kirie wondered further.

"Like I said: this building's the nicest so naturally they gravitated here" Nina explained.

"What a shame" Yukinari said shaking his head.

"Bastards" Kirie grumbled.

"Well, whatever. These things happen" Nina said dismissively. "Thankfully, the club's still intact and the vandalism should be gone by this time tomorrow."

"Thank goodness" Yukinari agreed.

"Heading in again this morning? You're not sore from yesterday are you?" Nina asked.

"No, not too sore" Yukinari replied.

"Miss Nina" Masashi then said.

"Yes?"

"..Wh-who's Akuma?" Masashi asked with deep concern, his eyes scanning the graffiti.

"Say what?" Kirie asked almost incredulous.

"Masashi, you can read that?" Yukinari said caught by surprise.

"Yeah I can" Masashi confirmed. "Miss Nina, why does it say this is his club?"

"We know exactly who that is!" Kirie was quick to point out. "He's some creep who dared assault Yukinari! Miss Nina! What's the meaning of this!?" Kirie demanded.

"Nothing that should trouble you" Nina answered calmly.

"Akuma practically tried to kill Yukinari! You bet your ass it troubles me!" Kirie exclaimed angrily. "Explain!" Yukinari and Masashi could only stand by quietly as Kirie started making demands.

"I assure you, his life is in no danger" Nina insisted.

"How can we be sure? I don't know that and right now, you don't exactly imbue me with much confidence" Kirie said firmly. "We've met this Akuma guy before and believe me, he seems far from a model citizen. Who is he? What does he want with the club? What's he capable of? Yukinari and I deserve an explanation!"

Feeling some pressure, Nina lets out a deep sigh. "Kirie, you're a very headstrong girl you know?"

"You'd be too if you suspected lives were at risk" Kirie countered.

"No, like I said" Nina began anew, "your lives are in no danger."

"But how can we know?" Kirie reiterated. "I feel Yukinari and I deserve an explanation!"

"It's a long story" Nina said.

"School's out, we have all day" Kirie reminded.

Nina was uncomfortable being put on the spot this way. Glancing at Yukinari and Masashi, she detected great worry in their eyes almost equaling Kirie's own more-passionate concern. She didn't want to tell them anything but she felt she at least owed them the peace of mind.

"Masashi, what else does it say?" Kirie asked.

"Give me a second" Masashi said. "...Some of it is obscenities, more of it is just turf staking. It's also adamant about saying this club belongs to Akuma. 'You have a day to consider your decision' it reads. What decision is it referring to?"

"Miss Nina?" Kirie questioned.

"Very well then. If you must know, then I'll tell you" Nina surrendered. "But first, I'd rather we go somewhere with a little more privacy."

"Sure" Kirie agreed, her arms folded.

"Let me just get someone who'll watch over the club while we're gone" Nina said getting up and retreating into the training room leaving Yukinari, Kirie, and Masashi alone.

"Hey Masashi, how are you able to read that stuff?" Yukinari questioned.

"Eeh" Masashi let out feeling somewhat sheepish. "I, I used to belong to a biker gang."

"What!?" Yukinari gasped. "Like a motorcyle gang?"

"Uhrm.. Bicycle" Masashi admitted scratching his cheek.

"Pffwha-? Bicycle?" Kirie repeated resisting the urge to laugh.

"H-hey! We all had to start somewhere!" Masashi defended. "Motorcycles were expensive! They still are!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Kirie apologized, "it's just the timing. You hit it pretty well."

"So how'd you end up joining the club?" Yukinari asked as Nina returned with a burly club member by her side.

"Miss Nina beat me up and forced to join" Masashi said.

"What?" Kirie said somewhat alarmed.

"What are you accusing me of you punk?" Nina questioned Masashi. "That's slander."

Proceeding outside, Nina lead the way to her car in a nearby parking structure.

"I was only kidding Miss Nina" Masashi said. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Yukinari said, Kirie similarly puzzled by his side.

"Masashi deserved that beating" Nina said.

"Yeah, I sort of did" Masashi admitted.

"What is going on?" Kirie said annoyed. "Can you two start talking straight? Yukinari and I are completely in the dark here" she said as they entered Nina's car, Masashi riding shotgun, Yukinari and Kirie in the back.

"Sorry" Masashi apologized as the car took off. "One of the things we'd do as an amateur biker gang, when we weren't loitering, tagging up, robbing, or riding recklessly, was extortion."

"Extortion?" Yukinari repeated.

"That's where we get money out of people by threatening them, indirectly in our case" Masashi explained. "We'd offer a small business owner 'protection' against vandalism. We'd always seek out the vulnerable: women, the elderly, or foreigners. Immigrants from the mainland were also targets."

"That's despicable" Kirie said as the car stopped at an intersection.

"I agree. I assure you I feel only regret" Masashi reminded.

"So what was that about Nina beating you?" Yukinari asked.

"Let me guess" Kirie said. "You tried your luck on Miss Nina."

"Ehehehe! Yeah" Masashi admitted. "We told her we could 'protect' her business and she flatly denied our services. Next day, we tagged it up and planned on throwing rocks through the windows but she caught us in the act."

"That's when you all tried to gang up on me" Nina recalled.

"And you kicked our asses" Masashi added. "I got it the worst."

"You guys gave up and ran and I wasn't gonna let you guys go after a stunt like that" Nina said as she parked the car by a restaurant named 'Pacific Kitchen'. "You were the slowest."

"Okay, that's fine and all" Kirie interjected, "but I'd really appreciate it if we'd get back to the whole Akuma thing. Miss Nina, I hope you haven't forgotten."

"Of course I haven't" Nina said leading the way to the restaurant. "Today's on me by the way. I'm feeling hungry so we'll discuss this over brunch. Hope you guys are hungry."

Entering the Pacific Kitchen, a waiter welcomes them to the establishment, and they are promptly seated in a sound-proof room that guaranteed their privacy. After placing their orders, expensive yet exquisite-sounding seafood dishes chosen out of tall menus, the waiter leaves the four alone with a large belly pitcher full of ice water and four glasses set atop their table.

"Alright, we're here. No one can eavesdrop on us" Nina said sitting opposite Yukinari and Kirie, Masashi by her side.

"Yes" Kirie acknowledged.

"Yukinari, do you remember your first visit to Seiren? Remember how crazy the girls were?" Nina asked.

"How could I forget?" Yukinari said humorously.

"Well, when I was much younger, I was no different" Nina said. "Girls on Seiren are crazy about boys to say the least and some would do anything to meet one. It just so happened that a girl among my circle of friends had an older sister who worked at the Space Travel Agency. She managed to get her hands on some experimental aqua bells."

"Aqua bells?" Masashi said confused.

"They're like marbles" Kirie told Masashi.

"They're what Koyomi and Tomoka used to use to travel back and forth between Seiren and Earth" Yukinari said.

"Exactly. For girls without a Seikon like that of Miharu's or Koyomi's, it's the only way. With some aqua bells in our possession, we'd only naturally get ourselves into trouble. We initially had no idea how to get them to work. Long story short, I was the lucky one who got her aqua bell to work and I ended up stranded on Earth" Nina recollected.

"Stranded. All alone" Yukinari said, pity in his voice.

"Yes. All alone" Nina said. "My very first day on Earth, I was all alone on my own." 


End file.
